The Indian stalwart Virat Kohli has congratulated Cheteshwar Pujara on his retirement call and also applauded for easing his job at No.4, saying that the latter’s role at No.3 played a big part in his own success.

The specialist batter played a pivotal role during Virat Kohli’s dominance as test skipper, holding the fort for the team on numerous occasions at the number 03 spot.

Pujara has scored 7195 runs in 103 tests at an average of 43.60, he is India’s eighth highest run getter in the format.

His dominance extended to the domestic circuit, where he piled up 21,301 runs in first-class cricket, cementing his reputation as one fo the finest red-ball specialists of his era.

The former Indian skipper posted an instagram story for Pujara a couple of days later after his retirement.

“Thank you for making my job easier at 4 pujji. You’ve had an amazing career. Congratulations and wish you the best for what’s ahead. God bless you @cheteshwar_pujara,” Kohli wrote on his Instagram story.

He has amassed 3839 at home with an average of 52.58. For over a decade, he has been most reliable No.3 establishing his role in some of the team’s most significant wins at home and overseas.

His last test appearance comes from World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023.

Despite his absence in the Indian national side, he has been integral part of red-ball cricket for Saurashtra and also turned out for Sussex in the County Championship.

The off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin echoed on Virat Kohli’s sentiments on Pujara, highlighting that the former Saurashtra batter played a crucial role in enabling the former skipper’s run scoring success.

“What did Cheteshwar Pujara stand for in Indian cricket? I said his contributions are no less than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Obviously, a lot of people talk about their contributions,” said Ashwin.

“The attention is not there. Not every cricketer gets the attention, but that does not mean their contribution is any less. Pujara’s contribution at No.3, believe it or not, was instrumental in helping Virat Kohli also make a lot of his runs,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.