Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: India captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli have announced their retirement from T20 Internationals after India won the final of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Virat was the first to announce his retirement. After collecting his Player of the Match award for his match-winning 59-ball 76, which included two sixes and six fours, Kohli said it was his last T20I match for India. “This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” Kohli said.
Rohit announced in a post-match conference that he too was retiring from T20 internationals. “This was my last game as well. No better time to say goodbye. I wanted this trophy badly,” he said. “It’s very hard to put in words.”
Rohit led India to the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup semifinals where India lost to eventual champions England.
India also lost its 50-over World Cup at home to Australia under Rohit’s leadership in 2023.
Rohit scored 4,231 runs from 159 T20I matches, which included five hundred and 32 fifties, while Virat scored 4,188 runs from 125 T20Is, including one century and 38 half-centuries.
India lifts 2nd T20 World Cup trophy
India defeated South Africa by seven runs at Kensington Oval, Barbados, to lift its second Men’s T20 World Cup trophy.
Batting first after winning the toss, India scored 176 runs for the loss of seven wickets. South Africa, which was playing in its maiden ICC World Cup final, folded for 169 runs.
South Africa was in a very comfortable position after the 16th over, needing 26 runs from 24 balls with David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen firmly settled at the crease. But Hardik took the wicket of Klaasen on the first ball of the 17th over to put pressure on the Proteas. Jasprit Bumrah returned in the 18th over to choke South Africa, giving just two runs and taking one wicket. Arshdeep bowled a tidy 19th over, giving just four runs. Suryakumar Yadav took a superb catch to get rid of Miller on the first ball of the 20th over bowled by Hardik Pandya to end any South African hopes.
Earlier, Virat struck 76, and Axar Patel and Shivam Dube contributed with 47 and 27 runs, respectively, as India scored a fighting total of 176. Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets each for South Africa, and Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada claimed one each.
