Cricket Icons Kohli and Rohit Bid Farewell to T20 Internationals

Two of India's cricket legends, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have announced their retirement from T20 Internationals. Both played pivotal roles in securing the team's second world title in this format. Kohli was the first to reveal his decision after being named player of the match for his impressive 76 runs in the final against South Africa.

Rohit Sharma followed suit, stating that he had achieved his goal and it was time to step aside. "This was my last T20 World Cup, and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve," said Kohli. "I was telling Rohit Sharma when we went out to bat, I was like, one day you feel like you can't get a run and then you come out and then things happen. God is great," he told Star Sports.

Rohit Sharma's Career Highlights

Rohit, who scored a memorable 92 runs off 41 balls against Australia in the Super 8s, made his announcement during the post-match press conference. "This was my last game as well. No better time to say goodbye. I wanted this trophy badly. It's very hard to put in words," he said after ending India's long title drought.

The 37-year-old led India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where they were eliminated by England in the semifinals. A year later, under his leadership, India reached the final of the 50-over World Cup at home but lost to Australia in Ahmedabad. Rohit leaves T20Is with 4231 runs from 159 matches, including five hundreds and 32 fifties.

Virat Kohli's Final Performance

Kohli expressed gratitude for being able to perform when it mattered most. "I bow my head in gratitude. I'm just really grateful I was able to get the job done for the team on the day that it mattered the most," he added. Kohli hoped that the next generation of players would take India to greater heights.

"It's time for the next generation to take over. It's a two-year cycle for next T20 WC; there are some amazing players playing in India. They're going to take the team forward in the T20 format and do wonders as we've seen them do in the IPL," he said.

Kohli's Legacy

Kohli scored 4188 runs in 125 T20I matches at an average of 48.69, with his highest score being 122 against Afghanistan in September 2022. He has always thrived on big occasions and continued this tradition on his last day as a T20I player for India.

"It was now or never kind of a situation I knew. This is my last T20 game for India. It's the last World Cup that I was going to play. So, I wanted to make the most of it and this was our aim," Kohli stated.

Reflecting on Their Careers

Kohli admitted that he came into the final without much confidence due to a lean run in earlier stages. "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," he said.

However, he felt blessed by divine intervention. "But when God has to bless you with something, he shows you in ways that you can't imagine. That's why I said I'm really grateful and humbled right now," Kohli added.

Future Prospects

Kohli also mentioned that even if India had lost, he would still have retired from T20Is. "This was an open secret. It was not something that I was not going to announce even if we had lost," he said.

He expressed happiness for Rohit Sharma's achievement as well, noting that it had been a long wait for both of them to win an ICC tournament again since their first title under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2007.

"It's been a long wait for us to win an ICC tournament. It's not just me alone. You look at someone like Rohit as well. He's played nine T20 World Cups. This is my sixth. So, he deserves it as much as anyone else in the squad," Kohli remarked.

Kohli concluded by showing his emotional side, which is rare for him. "It's been difficult and hence the emotions. It's really difficult to hold things back... But it's just an amazing day and I couldn't be more thankful," he said.