Virat Kohli announces T20I retirement after World Cup win

Virat Kohli has finally decided to bid adieu to T20Is after helping India to win their second T20 World Cup - their first ICC Trophy after 11 years. Kohli, who had majorly underperformed till the semi-finals, rose to the occasion in the final, scoring 76 runs off 59 balls after India were in the woods at 34/3.

Kohli made a comeback to the Indian T20 side in January after a hiatus of one year and three months - but despite a successful IPL, he failed to make any significant contributions to the Indian team throughout the mega event. 

However, he remains the tallest run-maker in the history of T20 World Cups and one of the finest batters to have ever graced the game.

“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,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation. 

“We wanted to lift that cup. Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn't going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.”

After making his T20I debut in 2010 against Zimbabwe, he retired with 4188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He often had to cope with criticism for his more ODI-like approach to T20s, but in his career, he had often been the best India ever had. A case in point - his knock against Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup and against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Kohli also remains the sport’s biggest markerable star, and as the T20 World Cup moved to the United States of America to explore newer grounds, it was Kohli’s name and photo that were found in billboards and digital marketing initiatives.

Down and out in 2020 and 2021, Kohli scored a century against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup to return to form and absolutely dominated the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. 

However, after last winning a trophy in 2013, Kohli yearned for a global trophy, which found credence in 2024. 

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