India's wait for an ICC trophy finally ended on June 29 with a thrilling victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final played in Barbados. The win came despite a challenging tournament for batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who had struggled with low scores throughout. However, when it mattered most, Kohli stepped up to the plate in the final. Promoted as an opener for the first time in the tournament, Kohli's earlier attempts hadn't yielded significant results. While he boasted a successful opening record with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, the tricky pitches and his aggressive approach in the World Cup had resulted in early dismissals.
The pressure was on in the final. With the early dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav, India needed someone to anchor the innings and build a steady flow of runs. This was Kohli's moment. Displaying his characteristic grit and determination, the batting maestro played a composed innings, forging a crucial partnership with Axar Patel (47) to stabilize the innings. Their combined efforts laid the foundation for a competitive total of 176/7, paving the way for India's victory.
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In a post-match interview with Star Sports, an emotional Virat Kohli opened up about his personal struggles during the T20 World Cup. The anchor, referencing a conversation with coach Rahul Dravid, mentioned how Dravid had been concerned about Kohli's performance throughout the tournament. Kohli, still basking in the joy of India's victory and his own decision to retire from T20Is, revealed a conversation he had with Dravid where he expressed his disappointment with his batting, admitting that he felt he had been underperforming.
“Obviously, you have to move out of your comfort zone sometimes. In my mind, it was like no or never. I have to embrace my role and perform. When I couldn't perform, I told him (Rahul Dravid), ‘I let myself down. I need to be better’. (But) as I said, everything was just meant to be,” Kohli said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
India's T20 Veterans Announce Retirements
The jubilation of India's T20 World Cup victory was coupled with a wave of goodbyes. Virat Kohli, the hero of the final with a Player of the Match performance, used the opportunity to announce his retirement from T20 Internationals. Joining Kohli in stepping away from the shortest format were his fellow veterans, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit, who finished his career as the format's leading run scorer, confirmed his retirement during the post-match press conference.
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