In a move reminiscent of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma the captain of Team India has announced his retirement from T20 internationals. This decision follows Indias nailbiting sevenrun victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final on June 29. Considered a stalwart in the cricketing realm Sharma believes that the current juncture presents an ideal moment to bid farewell to the T20 format.
After a lackluster few T20 World Cups, the right-hander has had a successful year. The Nagpur-born cricketer scored 92 and 57 against Australia and England, respectively. He only achieved a single-digit score in the final, but he finished second in the competition with 257 runs, an average of 36.71.
At a post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma noted that he began his career with India in the T20I format and that his success is difficult to quantify. According to ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
“This was my last [T20I] game as well. No better time to say goodbye to this format. I’ve loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. This is what I wanted, I wanted to win the cup. I wanted this badly.
“Very hard to put in words. It was a very emotional moment for me. I was very desperate for this title in my life. Happy that we eventually crossed the line.”
Rohit Sharma
Kohli after seizing the Player of the Match honor in the final decided to hang up his boots from T20I cricket emphasizing the need for fresh faces to lead the charge.
“We have played a lot of high-pressure games in the past” – Rohit Sharma
Rohit, who finishes as the best T20I run-getter with 4231 runs, praised his men for their outstanding performance under duress. During the post-match presentation, the 37-year-old praised them for sticking together when the Proteas were ahead.
“We have played a lot of high-pressure games in the past as well and been on the wrong side of it as well, but guys do understand when the pressure is on, what needs to be done.
“Today was the perfect example of when the back is against the wall what is required. We stuck together as a team, all of us, even though at one point it was looking South Africa’s way, but I thought overall as a group, on the field, we wanted this really bad.”
Rohit Sharma
Jasprit Bumrah won the Player of the Tournament title.