Saturday, June 29, was an emotional day for Indian cricket fanatics all over the world. Firstly, they saw their favourite team lift the T20 World Cup for the first time in 17 years. As they were trying to process the phenomenal feat pulled off by the Men in Blue and celebrated euphorically, the iconic duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bid farewell to T20I cricket.
At the Kensington Oval in Barbados, India defeated South Africa by seven runs in a pulsating final. Kohli, who was adjudged the Player of the Final for his excellent knock of 76 off 59 balls, announced his retirement from T20Is while speaking to the broadcaster. His long-time friend and Indian captain, Rohit, followed his path and also bid adieu to the shortest format in international cricket.
Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir lauded the surreal contributions of the two stalwarts of Indian cricket in T20Is and hoped that they would continue doing well in the ODI and Test arenas.
“What better than finishing off the T20 career with a World Cup win. They are both great players and have done so much for Indian cricket. I want to congratulate them and wish them all the best. They will play One Day and Test cricket. I am sure they are going to keep contributing to the success of the country and team,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“The entire nation is very happy. I want to congratulate Rohit Sharma and the entire team,” the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup winner added.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli finish as top two run-getters in T20Is
Rohit began his T20I career in 2007 and played 159 games for his country. He finished as the highest run-getter in the format, amassing 4,231 runs at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89. The Mumbai batter has five centuries in T20Is, which is a record.
Kohli, on the other hand, finishes at the second spot, with 4,188 runs from 125 T20Is at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He smashed 38 half-centuries and his solitary ton came against Afghanistan in 2022.