Virat Kohli retires from T20Is after India's T20 World Cup win

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

“This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” Kohli said in the post-match broadcast. “One day you feel like you can’t get a run, and then this happens. God is great. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that 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.”