Virat Kohli has called his time in T20 International cricket, after earning the ‘Player of the Match’ award in helping India secure their second and his first T20 World Cup title, by getting the better of South Africa during the final, at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Kohli only became the second player after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who did it as a captain, to lift all three ICC trophies (ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy, and T20 World Cup) in their career, Virat grabbed the other two in 2011, and 2013 respectively.
For the whole tournament in this edition, the former India captain wasn’t going through a sweet time, with the bat in hand, and questions were raised, whereas concerns were grown on whether Virat Kohli would be able to get back into his form.
‘Virat Kohli has been in the category of taking Indian cricket forward’- Zaheer Khan
The stage was a huge one, and India having been under pressure early on, the responsibility was on the shoulders of Virat Kohli, to take them out of the situation, and help them in getting into a strong point.
Also Read: Wasim Akram Reacts To Virat Kohli Retiring From T20Is; Congratulates India On T20 World Cup 2024 Win
For the whole tournament, the aim for him was to whack the ball from the very first over, as the role of the team given to the 35-year-old was to be aggressive and follow the new template that the team had decided to play with.
There had been times when he, even after getting a few boundaries at the start, kept his feet on the accelerator and went away from the way he was used to playing. That has been one of the major reasons why he returned with poor numbers for the lion’s share of the competition.
In his first seven innings of the event, Virat Kohli had 75 runs seven innings at an average of under 19, and a strike rate of exactly 100, with a best score of 37-odd runs against Bangladesh in Antigua. But as the situation demanded for him to respect the condition, and understand the value of the situation, the Delhi boy did the right thing.
He finishes the T20 World Cup history of the tournament, as the highest run-getter with 1292 runs in 33 innings, at an average of close to 60, thanks to being unbeaten 11 times, at a strike rate of nearly 130, with 15 half-centuries and a best score of 89*.
The former India pacer Zaheer Khan informed his view on the retirement news of Kohli from the shortest format of the game.
‘Well, I think if you look at the T20 format, and you always (are) looking at what’s happening around the Indian cricket. You know, you have a lot of players who have been ready, and you can see that.’ The left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan expressed in a chat with Cricbuzz. ‘It’s about the time, and individuals in the team, being part of it, obviously you play a huge score in taking Indian cricket forward, taking it to the heights.’
He feels that the former India captain knows the importance of being a leader and how to pick the moment to make these sorts of announcements.
Also Read: ‘What a turnaround for Hardik Pandya’- Sanjay Manjrekar Lauds India All-Rounder
‘I think Virat Kohli has been in that category, you know for being a leader, captaining the side.’ Zaheer reflected. ‘You want to pick that moment actually for yourself.’
The former England captain Michael Vaughn believes that Virat Kohli has picked the perfect time to bid adieu from this format, by lifting the trophy.
‘Virat has got incredible timing and I think it’s the perfect way to go out’- Vaughan observed.
The superstar of world cricket finishes this format, as the second-highest run-getter, with 4188 T20I runs, in 117 innings, at an average of nearly 50, and a strike rate of close to 140, with 38 fifties and one century.