Indian captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from T20 Internationals following India’s T20 World Cup final triumph against South Africa. In the post-match press conference, Rohit confirmed that the final would be his last game in the format. “This is my last game as well, no better time to say goodbye to this format. I’ve loved every moment of this. I started my career for India playing this format and this is what I wanted, I wanted to win the World Cup,” Rohit said.
Reflecting on India’s First ICC Tournament Win in 11 Years
Reflecting on India’s first ICC tournament win in 11 years, an emotional Rohit added, “I am completely lost and can’t say what kind of emotions I am going through. Can’t explain it in words. Let this sink in. Last night, I couldn’t sleep as I was desperate and wanted it so badly. But I managed myself well inside the ground.”
Rohit Sharma Joins Elite Group of Indian Captains
At 37, Rohit Sharma joins an elite group of Indian captains who have won World Cups across formats, following in the footsteps of Kapil Dev (1983) and MS Dhoni (2007 and 2011). Additionally, Rohit has set a record as the first captain to lead a team to 50 T20I victories, with the 50th win being the World Cup final against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma’s Journey as India’s T20I Captain
Rohit took over as India’s T20I captain after the team’s disappointing performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup. In his first major outing as captain, he led India to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in Australia, a campaign that ended with a heavy defeat to England.
Ending an 11-Year ICC Trophy Drought
Under Rohit’s leadership, India achieved a historic feat by winning the T20 World Cup without losing a single game, thus ending an 11-year ICC trophy drought.
Virat Kohli’s Retirement from T20Is
Rohit’s retirement announcement follows that of former Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who also declared the 2024 T20 World Cup as his last. “This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can’t get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation,” said Kohli, who was named player of the match in the final.
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