Star batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20 Internationals on Saturday after guiding India to their second T20 World Cup win.
Kohli anchored the innings with a match-winning 59-ball 76, hitting two sixes and six fours. His performance lifted India from a precarious 34 for three inside the powerplay to a formidable 176 for seven, the cornerstone of India’s 7-run victory over South Africa.
After collecting the Man of the Match award, Kohli confirmed it was his last T20I match for India.
Also Read: India outwit SA by seven runs to clinch T20 World Cup
When asked if he was officially announcing his retirement, Kohli confirmed, “Yes, I have. This was an open secret. Not something that I wasn’t going to announce even if we had lost. It’s time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.”
Reflecting on the victory, Kohli added, “It’s been a long wait for us to win an ICC tournament. You look at someone like Rohit (Sharma), he’s played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it. It’s been difficult to hold back emotions and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s an amazing day and I’m thankful.”
