India cinched the T20 World Cup title with a resounding victory against South Africa on Saturday, sparking celebrations nationwide. In the midst of the jubilation, one by one, two Indian cricketers announced their retirement from the T20 international format. Virat Kohli first said that this was his last T20 cricket match, shortly followed by captain Rohit Sharma also declaring his retirement from T20 cricket. The ICC shared the news on their official social media as well, stating, "Following Virat Kohli's decision, captain Rohit Sharma has also decided to retire from T20 internationals."
37-year-old Rohit Sharma led India to make history on Saturday by winning their fourth World Cup title (ODI, T20). The Indian team clinched the T20 World Cup, giving 1.4 billion Indians a golden reason to celebrate. However, the subsequent retirements of Kohli and Rohit from T20s also sent a shockwave among cricket fans.
After the match, Rohit said during a press conference, "This was also my last game. There couldn't have been a better time to say goodbye. I desperately wanted this trophy. It's tough to put it into words. This is what I wanted, and it happened. I've been yearning for this in my life. I'm glad we finally crossed the line this time."
Rohit Sharma's T20 International Cricket in Numbers:
A total of 159 matches with 4231 runs at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89, including 5 centuries and 32 half-centuries. His highest score in the format is an unbeaten 121 runs. Rohit was a part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and is the only Indian player to have won two T20 World Cups. Rohit made his T20 debut for India during the 2007 World Cup match against England.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, took the field but faced defeat against England in the semi-finals. A year later, under Rohit's leadership, the team made it to the finals of the World Cup in 50-over format on home ground and faced defeat against Australia in the final match played in Ahmedabad.
Virat Kohli's Parting Words from T20 Internationals
Virat Kohli, too, after the World Cup final victory on Saturday, said, "This was my last T20 World Cup, this was what we wanted to achieve. Sometimes you feel you can't make those runs, and it just happens, an opportunity of now or never. This was my last match for India in T20. We wanted to lift that cup. Yes, I have won it, it was an open secret. It wasn't something I was going to declare win or lose. It's time for the next generation to carry forward the T20 game. We have waited a long time to win an ICC tournament. Look at someone like Rohit, he’s played 9 T20 World Cups, and this was my sixth. He deserves it."
