In retirement from Twenty20 international cricket, Team India skipper Rohit Sharma, 31, has followed mate Virat Kohli’s lead. This happened after, on June 29, the Men in Blue defeated South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
This is the best moment, in the veteran’s opinion, to say goodbye to the format. The right-hander has enjoyed a successful campaign after a thin couple of T20 World Cups. In matches against Australia and England, the cricket player from Nagpur top-scored with 92 and 57, respectively. Despite finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run scorer with 257 runs, an average of 36.71, he only scored a single figure in the final.
Rohit recalled that he began for India during a T20I match and that the success is difficult to describe at a news conference held after the game. According to ESPN Cricinfo, he stated:
“This was my last [T20I] 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. I wanted this badly” Rohit Sharma said.
“Very hard to put in words. It was a very emotional moment for me. I was very desperate for this title in my life. Happy that we eventually crossed the line.” World Cup-winning captain Conculed.
Rohit Sharma ends India’s ICC title drought:
It would not be an exaggeration if one said that it was an ideal swan song for Rohit Sharma, as he too, like Virat Kohli, decided to bring the curtain down on his T20 international career by declaring his retirement after the final of the T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Leading India in three successive ICC trophy finals, the MI opener was not able to emerge as a winner earlier when he was assigned the captaincy responsibility of the side for the first time. This was also India’s first ICC title since 2013; they had won the Champions Trophy now and then.
The daring opener made his T20I debut against England in the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007. He went on to play in 159 T20Is, scoring 4231 runs and holding the record for most runs scored by this nation in the format. He has hit 32 fifties and hammered five tons, including a career-best 121* against Afghanistan earlier this year.
With 50 victories (including Super Over and bowl-out victories), he is also the most successful T20I skipper and has two more than Pakistan’s Babar Azam.
The 37-year-old could not maintain his form in the Bridgetown final and was out for nine off five balls. However, Virat Kohli assumed responsibility this time, smashing 76 off 59 balls to help India score 176/7 in 20 overs. The Proteas trailed by seven runs after failing to reach 169/8 in 20 overs while chasing 177.
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