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Veteran Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli concluded their illustrious international T20 careers following India’s triumph in the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024. Ahmed Shehzad, a former T20 World Cup champion, paid homage to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli upon their retirement from T20I cricket.
India secured a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. Rohit Sharma joined the esteemed ranks of Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni as the third Indian captain to lift the World Cup trophy, marking India’s end to an 11-year drought in ICC tournaments.
Post-match, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their decision to retire from T20 World Cups, citing their desire to pave the way for younger talents. Rohit had
represented India in nine T20 World Cups, while Virat had participated in six editions.
Ahmed Shehzad expressed his admiration for Virat Kohli’s outstanding T20I career on Twitter. Shehzad praised Kohli for concluding his T20I journey with a World Cup victory and the Man of the Match accolade, labeling him as the greatest of their generation.
“Congratulations on an incredible T20I career @imVkohli. What a fitting way to end your career by winning the World Cup and getting Man of the Match award in it. The greatest of our generation ❤️ #T20WorldCup,” Shehzad tweeted.
Virat Kohli faced criticism for his batting form during the T20 World Cup, struggling with a series of poor performances. However, he silenced his critics with a stellar innings in the final match, scoring 76 runs off 59 balls. His contribution helped India reach a challenging total of 176/7 in 20 overs after a tough start, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Throughout his illustrious T20I career, the 35-year-old amassed 4,188 runs in 125 matches, boasting an impressive average of 48.7 and a strike rate of 137.04. As a right-handed batsman, Kohli registered 38 half-centuries and one century. His record in T20 World Cups is exceptional, scoring 1,292 runs at an astonishing average of 58.72, including 15 half-centuries.
Rohit Sharma showcased his batting prowess with scores of 92 against Australia and 57 against England in the T20 World Cup. Despite a lower score in the final match, he finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 257 runs at an average of 36.71.
In his T20I career, Rohit Sharma emerged as the highest run-getter, amassing 4,231 runs in 159 matches with an average of 31.34.
