Following their retirement from the T20I format, veteran batsman Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma of India had a sharp rise in their rankings. Following their triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024, the two decided to end their remarkable careers. Because of their outstanding tournament performances, both hitters’ T20I rankings increased.
While Kohli’s incredible 76 off 59 balls in the final match against South Africa won him player of the match, Rohit Sharma played a key role in India’s pivotal Super 8 encounter against Australia with a quick innings of 92. But was it the right decision for two of the greatest Indian batters to retire from the shortest format?
Here are the 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from T20Is was the right call
3. Retiring at the top
Following their victories in the ninth T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from the T20I format after years of dedication to the Indian team. With 4231 runs at the end of his career, Rohit surpassed Kohli (4188 runs) as the top run scorer in T20Is. After an amazing T20I career for India, the duo have finally said their goodbyes in style. They have achieved everything there is to achieve and have paved the way for others to dominate the format.
2. Stop over-reliance and reduce controversy for their spot
It was debatable even before the T20 World Cup whether Rohit, who had an incredible campaign, deserved to be in the team after a run of subpar T20 performances. Despite having a successful Indian Premier League season, Kohli’s strike rate and game versus spin have been questioned. The game is changing, and India must adapt as well. It’s not the best idea to have two guys whose batting has generated a lot of controversy and considerable fan resentment. Although Rohit and Kohli are elite players, their T20 performances for the past few years have been in doubt.
1. Giving the chance to youngsters
These youngsters have the chance to rise and have a big effect as we look forward to the next phase in Indian T20I cricket. Although Virat Kohli’s legacy will live on forever, Indian cricket has exciting things ahead of it. The younger and fresher generation of cricket players is made possible by their departures. The most important question still, though, is who will replace Rohit and Kohli and whether those individuals can live up to their own expectations.