(Source X)
Legendary Sri Lankan cricketers Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Thisara Perera have praised the illustrious careers of Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20Is. Both Kohli and Sharma bid farewell to T20I cricket following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Throughout the tournament, Rohit Sharma stood out as India’s opener, finishing as the second-highest run-getter with 257 runs from eight matches, maintaining an impressive average of 36.71 and a striking strike rate of 156.70.
In contrast, Virat Kohli struggled to find consistent form with the bat, managing 151 runs at an average of 18.87 across his eight matches. Despite this, Kohli’s pivotal innings of 76 runs off 59 balls in the final against South Africa proved decisive in India’s championship victory. His timely contribution earned him the Player of the Match accolade, showcasing his ability to rise to the occasion when it mattered most.
Sri Lanka legends praise Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their stellar T20I careers.
In a Star Sports video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Thisara Perera celebrated Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s outstanding contributions over the years, extending their best wishes for the future endeavors of the Indian stalwarts.
“From Under-19s, I have played against Rohit (Sharma). I have seen what he is capable of. Obviously, Virat (Kohli) took over from Rohit in the Under-19s. Virat has been amazing for India for the past decade and a half. Both of them are just amazing players, modern-day greats, legends of the game and I wish them all the very best,” Mathews said.
“I think it was the right time to retire” – Dinesh Chandimal
According to Dinesh Chandimal, the timing of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement was impeccable, coinciding with India’s title win. He expressed confidence that while filling their shoes would take time, India possesses sufficient talent to step up and fill the void left by these two stalwarts.
“I think it was the right time to retire (from T20Is) after winning the World Cup. As a senior player, you wish to have that. So I think they made the right decision. It’s going to take some time to fill their shoes because they have so much experience playing T20 cricket especially. India have so much young talent. So, I am sure they will take their hands up and do their performance,” Chandimal said.
Meanwhile, Thisara Perera reminisced about his time playing alongside Rohit Sharma during their stint together in the Mumbai Indians camp.
“I played with Rohit (Sharma) when I played in MI (Mumbai Indians). He is a really good guy. As a human being, he is really nice because he always shares his thoughts with local guys and even overseas players,” Perera remembered.
Despite Thisara Perera’s retirement from international cricket, senior players Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal continue to be actively involved. Mathews participates across all formats, while Chandimal has been focusing on Tests recently. Currently, all these Sri Lankan players are actively competing in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024.
