In a surprising turn of events, India skipper Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20 International (T20I) cricket after leading the team to their second World Cup victory in the format. The announcement came during a post-match press conference at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, following India’s thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the final.
Describing the moment as the perfect time to “say goodbye,” Rohit Sharma expressed his joy and satisfaction. “This was my last game as well. No better time to say goodbye. I wanted this [trophy] badly. It’s very hard to put into words,” he said. “This is what I wanted, and it happened. I was very desperate for this in my life. Happy that we crossed the line this time.”
The 37-year-old Rohit had previously led India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where the team was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions England. In 2023, under his leadership, India reached the final of the 50-over World Cup at home but lost to Australia in the summit clash in Ahmedabad.
Rohit leaves T20Is with an impressive record of 4,231 runs from 159 matches, including five centuries and 32 half-centuries. Despite his retirement from T20Is, Rohit continues to be active in Test and ODI formats.
A video circulating on social media captured Rohit revealing that his decision to retire was influenced by the ideal situation. “I didn’t think that I would retire from T20Is, but the situation was such… I thought it was the perfect situation for me. Nothing better than winning the cup and saying goodbye,” he said.
Rohit Sharma: “I was not in the mood to retire from T20I, but the situation has arisen, so I decided to do so.”
Perhaps he is thinking of building a new team. He might have thought of retiring on his own.
— Sitab Chaudhary-Office (@sitab_chaudhary) June 30, 2024
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format, Hardik Pandya is expected to take over the captaincy of the Indian T20I team. Pandya had already led the team in T20I matches throughout 2023 in Rohit’s absence, making him the frontrunner for the role.