Rohit Sharma joins Virat Kohli, announces T20I retirement following World Cup triumph

Barbados: Rohit Sharma has joined Virat Kohli in retiring from T20 internationals after India won the World Cup by beating South Africa in a thrilling final in Barbados. He confirmed that he would continue to play ODIs and Tests.

While Kohli called it quits after winning the Player of the Match award at the Kensington Oval, Rohit made it official while addressing the press after the victory.

“That was my last game as well. Honestly, I have enjoyed it since the time I started playing this format. There is no better time to say goodbye to this format. I have loved every moment of it. I started my India career playing this format. This is what I wanted to do. win the Cup and say goodbye,” Rohit said even as the reporters in Barbados urged him to carry on playing the format.

“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 leaves the format as its highest scorer – 4231 runs in 159 matches – and also holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals. He’s won two T20 World Cup titles: the inaugural one as a player in 2007 and now as captain in 2024.

Rohit and Kohli’s retirement from the T20I format was not entirely unexpected. Both players had not played any T20Is after India’s semi-final defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, and only resumed playing T20Is in January this year – with the focus on the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Rohit finished the tournament as the second highest run-scorer – 257 at a strike rate of 156.70 – in difficult batting conditions in the USA and the West Indies. He took on the responsibility of giving India fast starts with his attacking approach, and scored crucial match-winning half-centuries in their last Super Eight game against Australia and the semi-final against England.