Former India captain Rohit Sharma called his emotional bear-hug with Virat Kohli after the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados a reflection of years spent “doing everything together.” Rohit added that both felt a strong sense of responsibility for the team’s performance and knew it was their final chance to win the title, which made the moment “even more meaningful.”
Rohit excelled as captain and was one of India’s standout batters, scoring 257 runs at a strike rate of 156.71, third-highest among the top 10 run-scorers on largely bowler-friendly pitches. Kohli, despite a tough tournament, played a pivotal role in the final by stabilizing India’s innings with 76 off 59 balls, helping the Men in Blue post 176-7 and eventually secure a seven-run victory.
“There was so much riding on us to take the team through,” Rohit said about the hug. “It’s not that the other guys were not keen or hungry enough, but [we were]… I don’t like to say that word, but the seniormost in that squad. And we have played a lot of cricket together. In fact, when he came into the team, I was only a year old in the team.”
“So, literally, we did everything together, played a lot of cricket together, except for the IPL. And we have seen a lot of setbacks as well with the World Cups. So, for both of us, we knew it was our last T20 World Cup, so it made it even more special,” he added.
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Rohit and Kohli ended their T20 careers on the night of the final. Earlier, in May this year, they had both retired from Test cricket just days apart. Now, the duo appears determined to secure spots for themselves in India’s squad for the 2027 World Cup.
Kohli & Rohit Lead India In Must-Win Final ODI Vs South Africa
Veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will once again take center stage as India aims to prevent another humiliating series defeat to South Africa in the decisive third and final ODI on Saturday.
Teams:
India: KL Rahul (C/WK), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen.
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