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Virat Kohli bid farewell to T20I cricket following his stellar performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where his 76 runs proved pivotal in India’s victory. He earned the Man of the Match title in his final T20I appearance for India.
With Kohli stepping down, the team management is actively seeking a successor for his crucial number three position. Rishabh Pant has been elevated to bat at number three initially, potentially holding that spot for the foreseeable future. The competition to fill Kohli’s shoes is fierce, with numerous contenders vying for selection.
After retiring from T20Is, Kohli is currently on a break from the game but will return to join the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. He remains committed to ODI and Test cricket, driven by unfulfilled ambitions in both formats.
In an unrelated event, during Shubhankar Mishra’s recent YouTube podcast, Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Saqib Saleem reminisced about their experiences, with Saqib fondly recalling a U-16 match where he played against Virat Kohli.
“Bhai jab main U-19 khela tha from Kashmir, he was playing from Delhi. So we played a game against each other and when I saw him bat, I realized that he would play for India one day. I don’t know about senior cricket, but in junior cricket in the U-16 and U-19 categories, the first time I saw Virat bat was in a club-level tournament. A 15-year-old Virat Kohli back then hit all the bowlers around the park and he was not hitting small sixes he was hitting them big, almost out of the school. So at that point, I realized that he is a different type of talent” Saqib recalled.
Virat Kohli remains at the peak of his career, maintaining exceptional fitness that has inspired countless Indian and international players to adopt rigorous training regimes. Recently, both Kohli and Rohit Sharma had initially planned to rest during the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, at the request of Gautam Gambhir, they have decided to participate. Kohli expressed his willingness to set aside any past differences with Gambhir for the team’s greater good.
Addressing the media in Mumbai before departing for Sri Lanka, Gambhir emphasized that his relationship with Kohli is not driven by publicity but is grounded in mutual respect between two mature individuals.
“What kind of a relationship with Virat Kohli is not for TRP? At the moment, we are representing India, we are representing 140 crore Indians. We have an excellent relationship with him off the field. But, it’s not for the public. It’s not important how many chats I’ve had with him during or after the game. He is a thorough professional, a world-class athlete, and hopefully, he will continue that way” Gambhir said in the presser.
Gambhir, in his role as head coach of Team India, faces the task of optimizing the talents of Kohli and Rohit. With several significant tournaments on the horizon, both senior players are pivotal to India’s campaign.
