Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game just hours after they lifted the second ICC T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Rohit made the announcement at the post-final match press conference.
When he was asked about his future in T20Is, Rohit said, “This was my last game as well. Honestly, I have enjoyed it since the time I started playing this format and nothing is a better time than this to say goodbye to this format.
“I have loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. I wanted to win the cup and say goodbye.”
Rohit, who was also a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team, led India to its second title in the shortest format against South Africa with a nail-biting 7-run win at the Kensington Oval.
Speaking at the post-match interaction, Kohli announced retirement from the format, saying the 2024 T20 World Cup was his last.
“This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. It’s been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament,” said the former India captain.
In the final match, which was almost in South Africa’s grip, India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and a stunning catch by Suryakumar Yadav pulled things back for the Men-in-Blue.
With the back against the wall, the Rohit Sharma-led side came back strongly to upset all plans of South Africa.