In a heartfelt reflection on Virat Kohli's retirement from T20 international cricket, Rajkumar Sharma, who nurtured Kohli's talent from a young age, conveyed a message of national pride and admiration. "I want to congratulate the whole nation for this tremendous victory," Sharma remarked, emphasizing Kohli's immense contributions to Indian cricket.
Sharma highlighted Kohli's stellar career, noting, "He has done so well for the country." He acknowledged Kohli's decision as a pivotal moment for Indian cricket, emphasizing the passing of the baton to younger players while Kohli continues to excel in other formats. "This is the time for the youngsters to take responsibility," Sharma noted, echoing Kohli's sentiments about the evolution of the team.Reflecting on Kohli's decision to retire from T20s after achieving the pinnacle of success with the World Cup victory, Sharma expressed admiration, saying, "He is setting an example in Indian cricket." Kohli's legacy, Sharma emphasized, extends beyond statistics; it embodies leadership, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of excellence that has inspired millions.
Virat Kohli has ended his T20 international career with a World Cup trophy, making the announcement shortly after India clinched their second T20 World Cup title in Barbados."This was my last T20 World Cup and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve," Kohli said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award for his 59-ball 76 in India's seven-run victory against South Africa in a thrilling finish. "This is an amazing game, I was telling Rohit today when we went out to bat that one day you feel like you can't get a run, and then you come out and things happen. God is great. I bow my head in gratitude. I'm really grateful was able to get the job done for the team when it mattered the most. "This is my last T20 game playing for India, my last World Cup I was going to play," Kohli added. "I wanted to make the most of it. And this was our aim. We wanted to win an ICC tournament, we wanted to lift the cup. As I said, it was the occasion that helped me put my head down and respect the situation rather than trying to force things out there, and play the game my team wanted me to play.
"Yes, I have. This was an open secret, it was not something that I was not going to announce if we'd lost," Kohli said when asked to confirm he was retiring. "This was going to be my last T20 World Cup playing for India, it's time for the next generation to take over. Two-year cycle, there are some amazing players playing in India, they're going to take the team forward in the T20 format, and do wonders as we've seen them do in the IPL. I've no doubts they'll keep the flag waving high, and really take this team further from here now."Kohli ended his 125-match T20I career as India's second-highest run-scorer [behind Rohit] in the format - 4188 at an average of 48.69 and strike rate of 137.04. He had endured a difficult T20 World Cup up until the semi-final - scoring only 75 runs in seven innings before he made 76 off 59 balls in the final.
