India vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2024: India captain Rohit Sharma has joined Virat Kohli in T20I international retirement, moments after becoming the second captain to lift a T20 World Cup trophy after MS Dhoni. While Kohli had announced the decision when he received the Player Of The Match recognition, Rohit announced the decision at a press conference following the titular contest.
"This was my last game as well. No better time to say goodbye. I wanted this (trophy) badly. It’s very hard to put in words," Rohit told the post-match press conference.
"This what I wanted and it happened. I was very desperate for this in my life. Happy that we crossed the line this time," he added.
Rohit Sharma's Steallar T20I Career
Rohit finishes with 159 T20Is. In 151 innings, the right-handed batter who started as a lower-order batter, finished with 4231 runs, averaging 31.34 at a strike rate of 140.89. While there were questions over his calibre as a batter in T20 World Cup, the Hitman finished as the team's leading run-getter, top-scoring in both a crucial Super Eights match against Australia and the semifinal against England.
Rohit, however, will continue to play ODIs and T20Is, much like Kohli. With those two formats in focus, Rohit's next assignment would be the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 set to be staged in Pakistan. The tournment will be played in the 50-overs format and both Rohit and Kohli are expected to be key members of that squad. The two of them will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.