Ajinkya Rahane’s retirement from all formats of the game has left many emotional and the two superstars of the Indian national cricket team, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, have given a special farewell to their teammate. 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 shared the news on his Instagram handle, social media was flooded with heartfelt messages for the right-handed batsman.
Kohli and Pant were among those to celebrate his incredible journey and thanked him for everything he has done for the Indian team. Earlier, after the retirement of Ajinkya Rahane, Sachin Tendulkar, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara paid tribute.
Virat Kohli pays emotional tribute to Ajinkya Rahane after retirement
Taking to his Instagram handle on Thursday, Virat Kohli praised Ajinkya Rahane for his illustrious career and described him as one of the safest slip fielders India has ever produced.
The former Indian captain also described Rahane as his favorite batting partner in Test cricket and wished him all the happiness and success for the next chapter of his life.
Kohli posted on Instagram, “Jinx, congratulations on a wonderful career, friend. You have done amazing for Indian cricket and very proud of you on your journey. Safest pair of hands in the slips and my favorite Test batting partner. Wishing you well always. God bless.”
captain × vice captain
Virat Kohli with a special Instagram story for Ajinkya Rahane. pic.twitter.com/Ats1WDDDye
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 30, 2026
Rishabh Pant paid emotional 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-batsman also thanked Rahane for his extensive contribution to Indian cricket.
Rishabh Pant wrote on Instagram, “It was a pleasure sharing 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. Best wishes to you in the future.”
An emotional message from Rishabh Pant for Ajinkya Rahane pic.twitter.com/gtv0P1LIUw
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 30, 2026
Virat Kohli’s post has brought back India’s golden Test days with Ajinkya Rahane
Well, Virat Kohli’s post for Ajinkya Rahane has brought back memories of his golden days. Rahane served as Kohli’s vice-captain in Test cricket for over three years and played a key role in some of India’s biggest overseas wins.
Rahane played a key role in India’s historic 2018–19 Test series win in Australia. This was the first time that India defeated Australia in a Test series on its 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.
After this, Rahane took command of the team and led the Indian team, which was struggling with injuries, to a spectacular 2-1 series victory over Australia. His batting partnership with Kohli was one of India’s best. The duo added 3,661 runs in 67 Test innings at an average of 56.32, which included 10 century partnerships and 17 half-century partnerships.
Their record partnership of 365 runs against New Zealand in Indore and 262 runs against Australia in Melbourne are 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, as well as 2,962 ODI runs and 375 T20I runs.
