It is not every day that a nation of approximately 1.3 billion people who have not seen their cricket team win an ICC trophy in the past 11 years think that their recent T20I World Cup victory is bittersweet. But when the heart and soul of the team announced their retirement from the format on the same day, the sweet taste of victory faded.
This is exactly what happened with the Indian cricket team and their die-hard fans, as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced that the T20 World Cup Final 2024 against South Africa was their last match in the Indian jersey in T20 Internationals.
Even though both the players announced it normally and it did not seem to be an obvious decision for them, everyone in the cricket fraternity was shell-shocked because of this decision, as no one saw it coming. Virat Kohli even said it was an open secret, but it did not seem like one to his fans or those who admire the sport.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the top two run scorers in the history of T20I cricket, and that pretty much sums up what they have done over the years in the format. At least they have received the perfect farewell and bid adieu to the T20Is with a World Cup victory.
Although, if you ask us, these legends should never retire and just keep playing cricket. But we all have to believe that the inevitable has happened, and we should now respect and appreciate these legends of the game for what they have done for Indian cricket. It is time we take a look back at their respective journeys in the T20I format and celebrate these absolute legends of the sport.
Rohit Sharma
There are numerous records that Rohit Sharma has broken in the T20I format, and we will talk about all of them, including Rohit Sharma’s stats in the format, but we will first take a glance at what Rohit Sharma meant for Indian cricket and how his retirement will affect the team.
For Indian cricket, Rohit was the fuel that was the utmost priority to run the bus of the Indian cricket team. He made his debut in 2007 and was a part of the team that lifted the T20 World Cup in the same year. He showed glimpses of what was to come in the coming years in 2007 and took it to unbelievable heights.
The only Indian player to feature in all the editions of the T20 World Cup so far has always stood out from the crowd because of his exquisite timing. Everyone who has seen him closely says that while batting, Rohit’s timing is so excellent that he makes everyone feel like he has a 1-second extra. The batter has been a perfect example of leading from the front, as what he expected his team to do in this tournament, he did himself, and the others followed.
After starting his T20I career as a middle-order batter, Rohit transformed himself into an opening batter and brought a change to Indian cricket as he started batting explosively at the top. His glorious pull shot is a sight to behold, and the way he attacks off-spinners coming down the track is something only he can do.
Apart from putting a full stop to his T20I career being the highest run-scorer in the format (4231 runs), Rohit has scored five centuries in T20I cricket, which is the joint-most number by any player in history. He has a strike rate of almost 140 and an average of 32.05. The Indian captain has also scored the most sixes by any player in the T20Is (205).
Rohit Sharma’s highest score in T20Is is 121*, which he scored as an opening batter. More than just putting his name in history and the record books, he has had a huge impact on transforming how India plays cricket in T20Is and has been an outstanding captain. Rohit Sharma’s retirement implies that India will miss seeing him go berserk from the very first ball in T20I cricket and take the bowlers to the cleaners with his huge sixes.
How many ICC trophies has Rohit Sharma won?
Rohit Sharma has won three ICC trophies in his cricket career thus far. The first ICC trophy he won was the 2007 T20 World Cup; the second was the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy; and the third was the ICC T20I World Cup 2024, which he won as a captain. The trophy cabinet of Rohit Sharma looks glorious, and he would want to add more trophies to it before he says the final goodbye.
Virat Kohli
Even if we write something here, it would not be enough to justify what this man has done for Indian cricket day in and day out. The elite mindset of Virat Kohli and the attitude where he believes he can chase any target with the willow in his hand are the two things that have ensured that Indian cricket stays at the top in this format and also wins an ICC trophy.
In his final T20I innings, Kohli showed everyone what India would miss as it was his innings that helped India win that final against the Proteas. Kohli is not believed to have an attacking style of batting which is more suited for the shortest format, but over the years, he has shown that a player like Virat Kohli can do anything in any format. In the era of fours and sixes, Kohli has made the cricket fraternity realise the importance of singles and doubles in the 20-over format.
The list of match-winning innings played by Kohli where he single-handedly won India the match is huge. Although some of these innings were just out of this world such as Mirpur 2014 against South Africa, Mohali 2016 versus Australia, Melbourne 2022 against Pakistan, and many others. Kohli has not only earned fame and money from his T20I career but also the respect and faith of 1.3 billion Indians and a lot more people across the world. Kohli has an aura in this generation where he has dominated cricket for over a decade.
Just like an F1 car is always under development and constant work is going on the car to make it run faster, Virat Kohli works on his body during the off time so that he can be at the top of his game when the situation comes. Kohli has given his services to Indian cricket with 120% dedication and has finally won an ICC trophy after a very long time which is a result of his commitment to the blue jersey and tri-colour flag.
Talking about Virat Kohli’s stats in the format, he has bid adieu to T20 Internationals as the second-highest run-scorer in history with 4188 runs. Virat Kohli’s highest score in T20Is is 122* which he made against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. Kohli has ended his career in this format with an impeccable average of 48 and a strike rate of 137.
After breaking numerous records and being the best in the business for over a decade, the run machine and the king of cricket have finally called it a day in the shortest format of the game. Now the focus will shift to winning that red ball trophy and completing that already decorated trophy cabinet.
How many ICC trophies has Virat Kohli won?
The number of ICC trophies won by Virat Kohli is also three in his cricket career to date. Kohli is the most decorated cricketer of all time, as he has won all the white-ball trophies. He was a part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ODI World Cup, beating Sri Lanka in the final, then won the ICC ODI Champions Trophy in 2013, and has now also won the T20 World Cup 2024. King Kohli has just one red-ball trophy to win before he completes cricket.
During an ongoing cricket match in 2012, when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were batting together, Sunil Gavaskar announced on air that these two players who are on your screen are going to be the face of Indian cricket for the coming years, and that is exactly what these two did. They not only represented Indian cricket but gave everything for the nation, saved them from a lot of difficult situations in infinite times, and finally got what they deserved.
Nonetheless, both of these players will continue to play a lot of cricket for India in Tests and ODIs, and we will continue to see them smashing the bowlers all over the ground and winning many more trophies for the team.
