On Virat's footsteps: Rohit Sharma retires from T20Is after WC win
Rohit Sharma announced retirement from T20I on the heels of star batter Virat Kohli's similar declaration
India's captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from T20 international cricket after his team lifted the trophy of the T20 World Cup 2024 for the second time on Saturday under his captaincy.
In the final of the World Cup on Saturday, India defeated South Africa on Saturday in Barbados.
He revealed this during the presser and followed the suit of Virat Kohli, who announced his retirement during the post-match presentation.
"This was my last [T20I] game as well. No better time to say goodbye to this format. I've loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. This is what I wanted, I wanted to win the cup.
"I wanted this badly. Very hard to put in words. It was a very emotional moment for me. I was very desperate for this title in my life. Happy that we eventually crossed the line."
Rohit departs from the format as its highest scorer - 4231 runs in 159 matches - and also holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals. He has won two T20 World Cup titles: the inaugural one as a player in 2007 and now as captain in 2024.
Rohit and Kohli's retirement from the T20I format was not entirely unexpected. Neither player had featured in any T20Is following India's semi-final defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup, and they only resumed playing T20Is in January this year, with their focus on the 2024 T20 World Cup.
As a captain, Rohit played 62 matches where he scored 1905 runs at a strike rate of 149.76 and an average of 34.01. Out of 62, he won 49 matches as captain.