Virat Kohli, In an inspirational turn of events, the iconic former captain of the Indian cricket team and the Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, announced his retirement from T20 Internationals.
For a player who rose from the bustling streets of Delhi to the standard of world cricket, this marked the perfect conclusion of a remarkable T20I career filled with both triumphs and challenges.
This announcement came right after India’s historic victory over South Africa in the championship clash held in Barbados on Saturday.
he reflecting on the momentous occasion, shared his thoughts with the broadcasters, “This was my last T20 World Cup; this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can’t get a run, and then this happens. God is great. It was a now-or-never situation, and we wanted to lift that cup.”
“Yes, I have [retired]; this was an open secret. It wasn’t something I would have hidden even if we had lost. It’s time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.” Kohli confirmed to Harsha Bhogle, Addressing the rumours about his retirement.
which had not won an ICC title in 11 years, The victory marked the end of a long wait for India. Kohli praised his teammate Rohit Sharma, who had played in nine T20 World Cups, highlighting the collective effort and emotion invested in the journey. “He deserves it. It’s been difficult to hold back emotions, and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s an amazing day, and I’m thankful,” Kohli added.
Virat Kohli’s outstanding career saw him achieve the rare feat of winning both the ODI and T20 World Cups. Since making his T20I debut in 2010, Kohli participated in several T20 World Cups, always falling short until the 2024 edition. In the final, he played an important role, scoring a gritty 76 off 59 balls, helping India post a record total of 176/7.
As he bows out of T20 Internationals, Virat Kohli leaves a legacy of 4188 runs in 125 matches at an impressive average of 48.69. His journey from a fortunate young cricketer to one of the game’s greats will continue to inspire generations to come.
