Within minutes of India lifting the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli stated his intention to quit T20Is. An hour or so later, his skipper Rohit Sharma followed suit. The picture of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in tears was the perfect representation of how the Indian cricket team and their fans felt after the loss against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. While both players won World Cups as youngsters in the national set-up, the loss robbed them to the perfect chance to bookend their illustrious careers.
However, there was no such case on Saturday as India defeated South Africa in a thriller to clinch the T20 World Cup 2024 title and the excitement was visible on the experienced duo’s faces. Rohit broke down in tears on the ground while Virat’s fist bumps and aggressive celebration once again provided a sneak peek at his competitive attitude. However, what made the victory bittersweet was the dual announcement that shook Indian cricket.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced retirements from T20 cricket
Within minutes of India lifting the T20 World Cup in Bridgetown on Saturday afternoon, Virat Kohli stated his intention to quit Twenty20 Internationals. An hour or so later, his skipper Rohit Sharma followed suit, almost forced to reveal his hand following a specific query at the post-match press conference. A while later, Ravindra Jadeja joined the two stalwarts in the list of former T20 Internationals, taking to social media to break the news.
None of these retirements is a surprise. Rohit has just turned 37, Kohli will be 36 in November and Jadeja is five and a half months short of his 36th birthday. Each has spent at least a decade and a half representing the country, all are certainties in the other two international formats. A World Cup winner’s medal around their necks means there is nothing more left for them to achieve for the country in T20s. That, allied with the fact that a younger bunch is ready to take over, contributed in no small measure to their calls.
Following India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, both Rohit and Kohli confirmed that the match in Barbados against South Africa was their last T20I for Team India.
Rohit and Kohli are the top two run-getters in the T20I format. Rohit ends his career with 4231 runs in 151 innings at a strike rate of 140.89, with five hundreds and fifties. Kohli, meanwhile, amassed 4188 runs in 117 innings at a strike rate of 137.04, with one hundred and 38 half-centuries.
Next assignment for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Certainly T20 franchise cricket, from all indications. There is no sign yet that they are walking away from the 20-over game in its entirety, so their fans still have plenty to look forward to in that regard. But they also have lots to contribute to the national team, given their pre-eminence in both Tests and One-Day Internationals.
India have a crammed 12 and a few months ahead of them, marked by two long and arduous away Test series bookending the 50-over Champions Trophy, tentatively scheduled for February-March, 2025.
India’s next Test assignment is at home against Bangladesh, those two Tests followed by three more against New Zealand before they embark for Australia and five Tests, seeking a hat-trick of series wins Down Under. If they make it to a third successive World Test Championship final in the summer, that will be followed by five Tests in England, where India haven’t clinched a series since 2007.
For Rohit, both as rejuvenated Test opener and captain, therefore, there is so much to target. The T20 World Cup triumph has erased some of the huge disappointment of not going all the way at the 50-over home World Cup last year, but the Champions Trophy is a big carrot dangled in front of him, and the promise of a maiden WTC crown is alluring.
His bat is smoking hot at the moment and he will look to maximize the time left at his disposal internationally while also being grateful, like Virat Kohli, that he can also devote greater attention to a young family.
Virat Kohli’s standing as the best batter of his generation has taken a little bit of a hit, though within the Indian framework, his continues to be the wicket most coveted by the oppositions. He is at that stage of his cricketing life where individual milestones don’t hold the same significance as they once used to, or when compared to collective success, as a unit.
His legacy, like that of Rohit’s, is already firmly established, but he has the enthusiasm, the energy and the hunger to do more, to prepare the next generation for life without Rohit and himself. His intensity is infectious and he continues to be a role model when it comes to fitness and work ethics. He might be done with T20Is, but Kohli isn’t done with cricket. Nor is cricket with Kohli, whose contribution to Indian cricket already far outweighs the scary volume of runs and hundreds.
Former teammate and Indian leg spinner Amit Mishra has spoken about the attitude that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma possess that made them the great individuals they are.
Virat Kohli Not the Same Person After Fame And Power, Rohit Sharma Hasn’t Changed a Bit’- Amit Mishra reacts on Indian legends
Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Amit Mishra has spoken about a stark difference in the nature between Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The leg-spinner pointed out that Kohli does not have many friends within the Indian team for a reason, and stated that “fame and power” has changed him. Mishra drew a comparison between Kohli and Rohit, claiming that the current India captain remains the same person, and someone who Mishra can talk and joke with in the same manner despite Rohit’s fame and stature.
Speaking on YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra’s show ‘Unplugged’, Amit Mishra revealed that a difference in nature between Kohli and Rohit is the reason why the former has fewer friends in the team.
“Not everyone to be very honest. As a cricketer, I respect him a lot, but I don’t share the same equation with him as I used to,” said Mishra. “Why does Virat have less friends? His and Rohit’s natures are different,” he added.
“I haven’t been part of the Indian team in years. Still when I meet Rohit during the IPL or any other event, he is always joking with me. I don’t need to think what he will think,” Mishra continued.
When the host asked Mishra whether Kohli had changed, Mishra responded in the affirmative.
“I have seen Virat change a lot. We had almost stopped talking. When you get fame and power, some people think that others are reaching out to them only for a purpose,” Mishra said.
The host brought in an old quote by Yuvraj Singh, where the famous all-rounder mentioned that he used to be great friends with ‘Cheeku’ (Virat Kohli’s nickname), but not the star Kohli.
“I have known Cheeku since the time he was 14, when he used to eat samosas, when he needed pizza every night. But there is a huge difference in the Cheeku I knew and Virat Kohli, the captain,” said Mishra.
Mishra played 22 Tests and 36 ODIs for India, with his last appearance coming in 2017. Meanwhile, Kohli and Rohit were both part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning side this year. The duo announced their retirement from T20Is after winning the final.