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Virat Kohli Announces T20I Retirement As Rohit Sharma's India Win T20 World Cup 2024

Virat Kohli announces T20I retirement (AP Photo)Virat Kohli announces T20I retirement (AP Photo)

On Saturday, Virat Kohli - who helped India win the T20 World Cup 2024 with his fighting 76 - announced his retirement from the T20I cricket after winning the Player of the Match award in the final at Barbados. 

The Champion batter scored his due runs in the final, after failing to come big until the big-ticket match against South Africa. As India lost three wickets inside the powerplay, Kohli held his composure and played a calculative knock at the biggest stage. 

While summing his final knock and his T20I career, the 35-year-old called his retirement as "open secret". He further talked about handing over the baton to the juniors ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. 

"Well, this was my last T20 World Cup. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve. God is great. I bow my head in gratitude. I could step up when it mattered the most. Just the occasion. It was now or never. I was playing my last T20I game for India. We just wanted to lift the World Cup," Kohli said after winning the Player of the Match award in the final.

"Yes, I have. It was an open secret. This was going to be my last T20I World Cup game for India. There are a lot of young guys coming forward. Take the team further."


"Look, it's been a long wait for us to win the ICC tournament. Not for me as well, Rohit as well. He has played nine T20 World Cups and he deserved to win. The other guys in the squad as well. I'm grateful and filled with gratitude."

"It's difficult. The character that the guys have shown throughout this game has been incredible. After some time, the emotions will settle. But I'm really thankful."

Earlier in the innings, after Kohli's knock coupled with cameos from Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, the bowlers started off brilliantly with the newer ball. However, the South Africans almost took the game away in the middle overs. After which, spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya pulled the game from an unthinkable situation.

Eventually, India won the final by 7 runs as they broke their ICC exile after 11 years.