In a surprising turn, Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from T20 Internationals after a victorious triumph in the 2024 World Cup. With India beating South Africa by seven runs in the final, fragmenting an eleven-long losing streak in ICC events, two of India’s most incredible batters’ chapters conclude in the shorter format.
During the aftermath of the conquest, all the Indian cricketers were seen emotional after clinching the silverware. Virat Kohli, during the Player of the Match interview, declared this the final match in his T20I career. Hours later, Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, attended the press conference and expressed his intention to follow a similar path as his ally.
“This was my last T20 World Cup, and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” Kohli expressed. 
The 35-year-old, who stitched 59-ball 76 in the final, wanted to make room for the youngsters to carry the baton in the particular format.
“It’s time for the next generation to take over. In a two-year cycle, some amazing players are 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. I do no doubt they’ll keep the flag waving high and take this team further from here now.”
The Indian captain was the centre of attraction in the final press conference. He confirmed that a World Cup was always on his wishlist, so he would like to bid farewell to the shorter white ball format.
“This was my last (T20) game as well—no better time to say goodbye to this format. I’ve loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. This is what I wanted; I wanted to win the cup.”
Rohit Sharma became the first Indian to participate in two T20 World Cup championships. He won the silverware in his first ICC T20 World Cup event and ended the format with a title. The 37-year-old recorded 4231 runs across 159 international T20s, averaging 32.05 at a strike rate of 140.89.
Like his teammate, Kohli shares an extraordinary figure in the particular format. The Delhi-bred stockpiled 4188 runs at an impressive average of 48.69 with a strike rate reading 137.04.
