In a surprising development, Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20 Internationals after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup. This announcement came shortly after his teammate, Virat Kohli, also declared his retirement from the T20 format.
Rohit, who began his illustrious T20I career during India’s victorious 2007 World Cup campaign, has come full circle, ending his journey on a high note. In addition to stepping down as a T20 player, he also relinquished the captaincy he has held for over two years.
“This was my last game as well,” Rohit revealed in the post-match press conference, echoing Kohli’s earlier retirement announcement. “I’ve enjoyed it since the time I started playing this format. No better time to say goodbye. I’ve loved every moment of this. This is what I wanted – I wanted to win the cup,” he said, receiving applause from the media.
Rohit expressed his gratitude to coach Rahul Dravid, dedicating the T20 World Cup victory to him. “What he has done for Indian cricket for the past 20, 25 years, this was the only thing left. I am very happy on behalf of the entire team that we could do this for him,” Rohit remarked.
Praising his teammates, particularly bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, as well as the retiring Virat Kohli, Rohit said, “I am very lucky to have players like this in my squad, players who are playing for me and Team India – really, really grateful and thankful as well.”
When asked if this was the pinnacle of his career, Rohit acknowledged it as one of his greatest moments. “This has to be the greatest time. I can say that. It’s only because of how desperately I wanted to win this. All the runs that I’ve scored in all these years, it does matter but I’m not big on stats and all of that. Winning games for India, winning trophies for India – that is what I look forward to all the time,” Rohit stated.
Rohit Sharma exits the T20 format as its highest scorer, with 4,231 runs in 159 games, and holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals. His career in T20s is marked by two World Cup wins: the first as a player in 2007 and the latest as captain in 2024.
The victory and subsequent retirements of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli mark the end of an era for Indian cricket, as two of its most iconic players step away from the shortest format of the game.
