Kohli led India to victory with a player-of-the-match performance before announcing his retirement from the format.
India’s Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from T20 internationals shortly after helping his team beat South Africa in the World Cup final.
The 35-year-old produced a match-winning knock of 76 in his final international game in this format to set up India’s seven-run win in the humdinger at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.
“This was my last T20 game playing for India,” an emotional Kohli, 35, said after collecting the Player of the Match award.
“Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.”
Kohli retires from the format with 4,188 runs from 125 T20 Internationals with a strike rate of 137.
Considered a modern batting great, Kohli has not been in the best of form in the tournament but saved his best for the final.
India were in big trouble at 34-3 when he combined with Axar Patel to help his side post 176-7, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final.
“This is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” Kohli said.
Kohli, who finally came to the party with the bat at the most important stage, was duly awarded Player of the Match for his 76 off 59: “This is my last T20 World Cup, and this is exactly what I wanted to achieve.
“One day, you feel like you can’t get a run, then you come out and things happen for you. I am really grateful to get the job done for the team on the day it mattered the most.
“It was now or never. This is my last T20 game for India, so I wanted to make the most of it. This was our aim, to win an ICC tournament.
“It was the occasion which helped me to put my head down and respect the situation. I wanted to play the innings the team needed me.
Kohli said his retirement from the game’s shortest format was “an open secret”.
“We have wanted to lift a trophy for a long time. The occasion made me put my head down, respect the situation and play the innings that the team needed from me.”
This was India’s first global title since winning the 2013 Champions Trophy.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in for me yet. It’s an amazing day,” Kohli added.
Truly the greatest show on Earth 🎪#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/J0zoQnNUu1
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 29, 2024
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