Kohli and Rahane made many memorable partnerships togetherImage Credit source: Getty Images
The chapter of the legendary batting line-up, which was the reason for the success of the Indian team in Test cricket, has finally come to an end. After Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane also finally put brakes on his journey. Former vice-captain of Team India and the life of middle order batting, Rahane has announced his retirement from international cricket. After this announcement of Rahane, not only the common fans but also his teammates are wishing him all the best. But the most special message came from Virat Kohli, who called Rahane his best test partner.
After being out of the Indian team for exactly 3 years Ajinkya Rahane Announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday 30 July. With this, the journey of the tremendous batting line-up of the Indian Test in the last decade also ended. Rahane along with Pujara and Kohli formed the backbone of this Indian batting line-up. Especially he got along best with Kohli because not only did both of them come together to bat, but they were also the captain and vice-captain of the team.
Kohli’s special message for Rahane
The partnership of Rahane and Kohli gave many memorable moments to the Indian team during this period. In such a situation, every cricket fan was waiting for Kohli’s message on Rahane’s retirement. The former Indian captain also congratulated his old vice-captain on his retirement and described him as his best Test partner. Kohli wrote in his social media post, “Jinks, congratulations on a wonderful career, friend. You have done a wonderful job for Indian cricket, and you should be proud of this journey. The most reliable fielder in the slips and my favorite batting partner in Tests. All the best to you always. May God bless you.”
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. 🤝🇮🇳@ajinkyarahane88 pic.twitter.com/bHGaas41gO
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 30, 2026
That’s why Kohli says Rahane is his favourite.
Now if you are also wondering why Kohli chose Rahane as his favorite batting partner, then the reason for this is hidden in the statistics. This is not the first time that Kohli has said this publicly. He has been saying this about Rahane earlier also. After all, both of them together have made many great partnerships for Team India.
Statistics show that Kohli and Rahane partnered in 67 innings in Test cricket and in this both of them added 3661 runs in partnership with each other. There were century partnerships 10 times and half-century partnerships 17 times. The best partnership between the two was 365 runs. This is Kohli’s best partnership with any Indian batsman in Tests. After this he added 3513 runs with Pujara.
