After an epic win in the finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa, India’s Iconic batter Virat Kohli has surprised his fans by announcing his retirement from the T20 internationals.
Virat Kohli Announces Retirement from T20Is
Virat Kohli played a crucial role in India’s 7-run victory after scoring an impressive knock of 76 runs off 59 deliveries which includes two sixes and six fours. His knock helped the side to recover from the early dismissals at Barbados. The 2024 edition of the tournament hasn’t been favorable to the star batter as he struggled to score runs in US and Caribbean conditions.
💬💬 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝟮𝟬 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽: Virat Kohli
King Kohli bids adieu to the T20I format in style and mutual admiration for Captain Rohit Sharma 👏 🫡
Take A Bow on that glorious T20I career! 🙌#T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #SAvIND | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/xqur8qmHDF
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
He was named as the Player of the match and while speaking in the post-match conference, he 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. [if he is confirming if this was his last T20I] Yes I have, this was an open secret. Wasn’t something that I was not going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward and do wonders as we have seen them do in the IPL.
I have no doubts that they will keep the flag waving high and take this team further from here now. It’s been a long wait for us just waiting to win an ICC tournament. It’s not just me alone. You look at someone like Rohit, he’s played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it as much as anyone else in the squad.
Just happy we were able to get the job done and really it’s hard to explain the emotions I felt after the game. I knew what kind of mindset I was in. I wasn’t very confident in the last few games.
I wasn’t feeling really good out there. But when God has to bless you with something he shows in ways that you can’t imagine and that’s why I said I’m grateful and humbled right now and I bow my head.
It’s been difficult and hence the emotions of the game went as well and the way we came back and the kind of character the guys showed it’s really difficult to hold things back. I think it’s going to sink in a little later, the emotions are going to come to the surface a little later more but it’s just an amazing day and I couldn’t be more thankful,” concluded Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli has played 135 T20I matches so far and amassed 4188 runs with a high score of 122* runs and an average of 48.69. His T20I career includes one century and 38 half-centuries. He won two Player of the Tournament awards in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups and finished as the second-highest run-getter in T20Is behind Rohit Sharma.
