India win T20 World Cup, end 11-year wait for ICC Trophy

Virat Kohli quit T20 International cricket after playing a key role in India breaking their 11-year drought of an International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy by clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup final after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final at Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday (June 29, 2024).

Kohli announced his retirement while picking the Player of the Match Award in the final for his 79 off 56 balls (6x4s, 2x6s), an innings that carried the team to the title after India had lost three early wickets – of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav.

India had made 176/7 in 20 overs with Axar Patel chipping in with 47 off 31 balls (4x6s, 1x4s) and Shivam Dube 27 off 16 balls.

They then had South Africa on the ropes at 12/2 in the third over. However, Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27 balls, 2x4s, 5x6s), Quinton de Kock (39 off 31 balls), Tristan Stubbs (31 off 21 balls), and David Miller (21 off 17 balls) brought the Proteas back into the match.

With 26 needed off 24 balls, and six wickets in hand, it looked like South Africa would get to the title with ease. However, Klaasen edged a wide delivery to wicketkeeper Pant to be dismissed caught behind off Pandya, before the India pace bowling all-rounder, along with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh forced South Africa to commit hara-kiri, this time by being over-cautious, to lose the match and the title.

This is India’s first ICC title after the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Kohli, who had failed in the tournament, put the final innings in perspective saying, “This was my last T20 World Cup and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve.”

“This is an amazing game, I was telling Rohit today when we went out to bat that one day you feel like you can't get a run, and then you come out and things happen. God is great. I bow my head in gratitude. I am really grateful was able to get the job done for the team when it mattered the most.”

"This is my last T20 game playing for India, my last World Cup I was going to play. I wanted to make the most of it. And this was our aim. We wanted to win an ICC tournament, we wanted to lift the Cup. As I said, it was the occasion that helped me put my head down and respect the situation rather than trying to force things out there, and play the game my team wanted me to play.”

He said that it is time for the next generation to take over now.

“It is time for the next generation to take over. Two-year cycle, there are some amazing players playing in India, they're going to take the team forward in the T20 format, and do wonders as we've seen them do in the IPL. I’ve no doubts they'll keep the flag waving high, and really take this team further from here now.”

Kohli has played 125 T20 Internationals and scored 4188 runs at an average of 48.69 with one century and 38 fifties. He has scored runs at a strike rate of 137.04.

Jasprit Bumrah was named Player of the Tournament

Virat Kohli, India Cricket Team, T20 World Cup, Jasprit Bumrah