'This Was My Last T20 For India': Virat Kohli Announces Retirement From Shortest Format After World Cup Win

Former India captain Virat Kohli on Saturday announced that he will retire from the shortest format of the game in international cricket after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.

India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the summit clash to win their second T20 World Cup title after 2007.

Kohli, who was out of form and struggling for runs, scored 76 off 59 balls in the final to help India win and pick up the Player of the Match award.

See-saw Battle Ends In Blue

Kohli's knock helped India post 176 for 7 on the board which India defended by restricting South Africa to 169 for 8 with Hardik Pandya bagging 3 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh took two each for the Men in Blue.

End Of An Era

Over the course of 125 T20I matches, Virat Kohli has scored a remarkable 4,188 runs, maintaining an impressive average of 48.69. His highest score in T20Is is 122, which also happens to be his only century in this format. This milestone innings was achieved against Afghanistan in September 2022, showcasing his exceptional skill and consistency in T20 cricket.

Kohli makes massive announcement

"This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India.

"We wanted to lift that cup. Wanted to Yes I have, this was an open secret. Not something that I wasn't going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward. It's been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament.

"You look at someone like Rohit, he's played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it. It's been difficult to hold things (emotions) back and I think it's going to sink in later. It's an amazing day and I'm thankful," Kohli told Harsha Bhogle after the match.