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Ajinkya Rahane's retirement from all forms of the game has left many emotional, and two of the Indian National Cricket Team’s superstars, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, have given their teammate a special farewell. Both Kohli and Pant saluted Ajinkya Rahane for his contribution to Indian cricket.
Rahane announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Thursday, July 30. As soon as he broke the news on his Instagram handle, social media flooded with the heartfelt messages for the right-handed batter.
Kohli and Pant were among those to celebrate his incredible journey and thank him for everything he did for the Indian team. Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara lead tributes after Ajinkya Rahane's retirement.
Virat Kohli pays emotional tribute to Ajinkya Rahane after retirement
Taking to his Instagram handle on Thursday, Virat Kohli praised Rahane for his outstanding career and called him one of the safest slip fielders India has ever had.
The former Indian captain also called Rahane his favorite batting partner in Test cricket while wishing him all the happiness and success for the next chapter of his life.
Kohli posted on Instagram: “Jinks, congratulations on a great career, buddy. You've done wonders for Indian cricket, and you can be very proud of your journey. The safest pair of hands in the slips and my favorite Test batting partner. Wishing you well always. God bless.”
CAPTAIN × VICE CAPTAIN 🇮🇳
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 30, 2026
Virat Kohli with a special Instagram story for Ajinkya Rahane. pic.twitter.com/Ats1WDDDye
Rishabh Pant pens heartfelt tribute after Ajinkya Rahane's retirement
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant also shared an emotional tribute for Rahane. He said it was a privilege to share the dressing room with Rahane and praised his calm nature. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter also thanked Rahane for his massive contribution to Indian cricket.
Rishabh Pant wrote on Instagram, "It felt good to share the dressing room with you, Ajju bhai. Calm in every situation, selfless in every role, and a leader by example. Thank you for everything you have done for Indian cricket. Wishing you nothing but the best for what's next.”
An Emotional message by Rishabh Pant for Ajinkya Rahane ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gtv0P1LIUw
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 30, 2026
Virat Kohli's post brings back India's golden Test days with Rahane
Well, Virat Kohli’s post for Ajinkya Rahane has brought back the memories of their golden days. Rahane served as Kohli's vice-captain in Test cricket for more than three years and played a key role in some of India's biggest overseas victories.
Rahane had played a key role in India's historic 2018-19 Test series win in Australia. This was the first time India defeated Australia in a Test series on their home soil. In the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, Kohli returned home after the first Test for the birth of his first child.
Rahane then took charge of the team and guided an injury-hit Indian side to a stunning 2-1 series win over Australia. His batting partnership with Kohli was among India's best. The duo added 3,661 runs in 67 Test innings at an average of 56.32, including 10 century stands and 17 fifty partnerships.
Their record 365-run stand against New Zealand in Indore and 262-run partnership against Australia in Melbourne remain two of the finest partnerships in Test cricket. Rahane ended his international career with 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is. He scored 5,077 Test runs with 12 centuries, along with 2,962 ODI runs and 375 T20I runs.
