As India lifted the coveted T20 World Cup trophy for the second time, it marked a bittersweet moment for two of its most illustrious captains, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Despite struggling throughout the tournament, Kohli made a crucial 76-run contribution to India’s 176-7 in the final, as the team announced its triumphant return to the top of the cricket world. South Africa, on the other hand, put up a strong fight, but the Indian bowlers, led by Hardik Pandya, staged a remarkable comeback to restrict the Proteas to 169-9, handing India a seven-run victory.
As the team celebrated their historic win, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shared a heartfelt hug, their emotions evident for all to see. After the match, Kohli announced that the final would be his last T20 game for India, stating that “this was my last T20 World Cup. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day, you feel like you can’t get a run, and this happens. God is great. Just the occasion, now-or-never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India.” In the post-match conference, Rohit Sharma revealed that he too would be retiring from T20 Internationals, expressing his gratitude for an incredible journey in the format, which has seen him earn 50 T20I wins as a captain.
Virat Koli (Via Virat Koli/Twitter)
The World Cup-winning captain expressed his love for the format, stating “This was my last 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.” Notably, both Rohit and Virat announced that they would continue to play in the One-Day International (ODI) and Test formats, leaving fans to hope that they will create more magical moments in these formats.
India’s victory marks their first ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy win, a testament to the team’s resilience and skill. The win also crowned Rohit Sharma as the first captain to achieve 50 T20I wins. As the curtain closes on their T20I careers, fans hope that Rohit and Virat will continue to inspire and thrill cricket enthusiasts worldwide with their partnership in the ODI and Test formats. The emotional farewell from these two cricketing legends leaves a lasting legacy, and fans can only hope to see more magic unfold in the years to come.
