Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from T20 International cricket following India’s thrilling victory over South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
The iconic batter, who has been a mainstay of the Indian team for over a decade, played his final T20I match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, where India clinched their second T20 World Cup title.
Kohli, who scored a crucial 76 in the final, finishes his T20I career as the leading run-scorer in the format, having amassed 4,037 runs at an impressive average of 51.75 with 37 half-centuries. His retirement marks the end of an era, as he and fellow batting legend Rohit Sharma have been the cornerstones of India’s T20I team for many years.
Virat Kohli while receiving Player of The Match said “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 this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup.”
“Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn’t going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward. It’s been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament. You look at someone like Rohit, he’s played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it. It’s been difficult to hold things (emotions) back and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s an amazing day and I’m thankful”
Kohli’s decision to retire from T20Is comes as no surprise, as there had been speculation that the 2024 T20 World Cup could be his last hurrah in the shortest format. At 35 years old, Kohli has achieved everything there is to achieve in T20 cricket, including winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and now the 2024 edition.
Virat Kohli scored 4188 runs in 125 T20I matches so far with a strike rate of 137.04.
The former India captain’s retirement will leave a significant void in the team, but it also opens the door for younger talents to step up and cement their place in the T20I side. Kohli’s legacy, however, will continue to inspire generations of cricketers, and his name will forever be etched in the annals of Indian cricket history.
