Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from format after India’s T20 World Cup win
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India's captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli finally led their team to victory in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa, ending a ten-year drought of winning major tournaments. Following their triumphant win, both Sharma and Kohli surprised fans by announcing their retirement from T20 cricket.
The pair are the leading scorers in the history of T20 international matches, each with more than 4,000 runs. They chose to step down from the spotlight at a time when they were celebrating their joint success.
Kohli scored the most runs with 76 off 59 balls in an exciting seven-run win against the Proteas in Barbados. Sharma was able to reclaim a trophy he had previously won back in 2007 as a young player.
Kohli, aged 35, and Sharma, aged 37, both cried at the end of the game, feeling overwhelmed by the emotion of a victory they had been waiting for and the realization that they would soon be saying goodbye.
Kohli, the most reliable star in the game, was the first to leave as he announced his departure during the post-game ceremony.
"I saw this as a make-or-break moment. It's my final T20 match representing India and my last World Cup, so I really wanted to give it my all," he stated. "It's no surprise that this day would come. It's now up to the younger players to carry on the legacy of T20 cricket."
We've waited a long time to win an ICC tournament. We were really focused on winning that cup. It was hard to control our emotions, but I think it will hit us later. It's been a fantastic day and I'm grateful.
Sharma didn't reveal his plans for a while, going through the usual steps like formalities, celebrating in the dressing room, and answering questions in a press conference before revealing his surprise.
"This was also my final match," he explained. "It's the perfect moment to bid farewell to this style of play. I cherished every second of it. T20 is where I began my career with India, and it's what I always wanted. My goal was to secure the cup and then retire."
For an Indian team that has come in second place five times in the past ten years in international cricket finals across all formats, this victory was a much-needed release of emotions.
"It's difficult to capture everything we've experienced... many intense games that we unfortunately lost," Sharma expressed.
Men know what to do when things get tough and today showed that. We stayed united and determined to achieve our goal.
Sharma didn't have much impact on the final match, getting out for only nine runs. He appreciated the efforts of Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who took two wickets each for 18 runs and turned the game around towards the end.
When it's time for an important event, the best players always deliver. Everyone knew Virat Kohli would shine, as he has been performing exceptionally well for the past 15 years. And Jasprit Bumrah's skills are simply unbelievable. It's like watching a masterclass in action - he truly is a class act.
South African captain Aiden Markram, whose team was trying to win their first ever World Cup match but couldn't quite manage it, even though they only needed 30 runs from the final 30 balls.
"It's heart-wrenching... the way this game played out just amplifies the feelings," he remarked.
I feel like we are making progress towards our first victory. It's tough, but I am filled with pride.
South Africans are strong competitors who show respect and never give up. We are proud of this moment.
