Michael Vaughan did not forget to remind Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra that India should have won more ICC titles during their heydays. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has taken a sly dig at Indian trio Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for not winning more white-ball trophies as they retired from the T20Is. The troika has been an integral part of Indian cricket for many years, but it has managed to win just one ICC trophy (2024 T20 World Cup) for India in the past decade, and that too came in their last T20I match.
The three giants of Indian cricket decided to pass the baton to the young brigade after helping the Men in Blue win their second T20 WC title. In a stunning display of cricketing prowess, India clinched the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, ending a decade-long drought in ICC tournaments. However, the victory has sparked a mix of emotions, with former England captain Michael Vaughan taking a controversial stance on the legacy of India’s cricketing titans.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retires after a triumphant T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli was the first of the three to make the announcement. He announced his retirement from T20Is during his speech after winning the Player of the Match award in the final as he scored 76 runs off 59 balls. An hour or so later, Rohit Sharma revealed his decision in the post-match press conference to bid adieu to the T20Is. The duo finished their T20I careers as the two leading run-getters of the shortest format – Rohit at the top with 4231 runs and Kohli with 4188 runs.
Meanwhile, a day after winning the title, star all rounder Ravindra Jadeja joined the two batting superstars in the T20I retirement. Their retirement from the shortest format of the game closes a chapter in Indian cricket history, leaving fans with bittersweet sentiments.
While Kohli finished his career as the leading run scorer in T20 World Cup history, Rohit was the leading run scorer in T20Is when he called time on his 17-year-long career. The 37-year-old top-order batter is the only Indian to win two T20 World Cup titles and the first captain in history to win 50 T20Is.
Michael Vaughan didn’t mince his words while pointing out the shortcomings of Team India in recent ICC tournaments. He also took a dig at Rohit for winning his second T20 WC title after 17 years.
Michael Vaughan reacts on Rohit, Kohli & Jadeja’s retirements after T20 World Cup win
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan believes the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja should have won more ICC Trophies than they have among them. The Indian veteran trio announced their retirements from the T20I format following the Men in Blue’s triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.
Michael Vaughan shed light on how Rohit was the part of the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 and how he had to wait for another 17 years to win his next title at the particular tournament.
Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, here’s what Michael Vaughan had to say:
“They’ll all agree that it is a perfect way to go, but they should have won more white ball trophies amongst them. To think that he (Rohit) has taken another seventeen years to get another one in his hand, I think he will be the first one to admit that they should have won one or two more.”
Michael Vaughan claimed that Rohit Sharma would end up being amongst the best T20 batters and also a magnificent leader. He was baffled with Mumbai Indians’ decision of moving on from his leadership.
Indian cricket has enough talent to replace legends: Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan feels that the likes of Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja can continue to play the longer formats of the game and the IPL and that Indian cricket will not feel the pinch of their absence in T20 format. He reckons there are enough players that could take up the mantle for the Men in Blue in T20Is.
On this, he stated:
“What a way to go out with a win in Barbados and a trophy in your hand. Now they can sit back and play Test cricket, a bit of one-day cricket and in the IPL like MS Dhoni, play on forever. In Indian cricket, they will be replaced as there’s plenty of talent in that team.”
The T20 World Cup win ended India’s 11-year wait for an ICC Trophy. It was the third ICC white-ball trophy won by Rohit and Kohli and second by Jadeja.