Virat Kohli Retires From T20Is: A Look at Star Indian Batsman’s Stats and Achievements As He Ends Career in Shortest Format After India’s T20 World Cup 2024 Title Win

Surely, there could not have been a better way to sign off from T20I cricket. As Indians across the world soaked in the celebrations from the team's T20 World Cup 2024 title win, Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell while collecting the Man of the Match award for his 76-run knock in the final, announcing that this was his last match for India in T20Is. While many would have seen that call coming, Kohli non-challantly made the announcement while speaking to the broadcaster and said, "This was an open secret (retirement from T20Is). It was not something that I wasn't going to announce, even if we had lost. It's time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward." Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Hug Each Other After India Win T20 World Cup 2024 Final Against South Africa (See Pic and Video).

And just like that, one of the greatest-ever careers in T20I cricket came to an end. As he has done all throughout his career, Kohli signed off on a high with a crucial knock, which helped India set a fighting total on the board. However, it was not an entirely unexpected decision, given the fact that he played few games in T20Is between the 2022 and the 2024 T20 World Cups While many believe Kohli's actual prowess lies in the ODI format and also Test cricket, T20I, especially crunch games, has always gotten the best out of him. He bows out, having led India to a second ICC T20 World Cup title and ending a much-awaited ICC title drought.

The memory of him smashing that iconic straight six off Haris Rauf in the India vs Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2024 is still fresh. So is the sight of him dropping down to his knees and soaking in all the applause after having led India to an improbable win over Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Also, not many will forget him acknowledging Sachin Tendulkar in the Eden Gardens crowd after scripting yet another masterful run chase against Pakistan in the same edition of the T20 World Cup. In what turned out to be his final game for India in the format, he returned to his old-fashioned approach and set the base for another Indian win. Kohli made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in Harare and has had a career spanning 125 matches where he amassed over 4,188 runs. Rinku Singh, Virat Kohli and Other Team India Cricketers Dance As They Celebrate Men in Blue's ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Victory (Watch Video).

Virat Kohli's Stats in T20I Cricket

Virat Kohli's Achievements and Records in T20Is

#Virat Kohli finishes with 4188 runs in T20Is, the second-highest by a batsman after Rohit Sharma

#He also has the joint-most number of fifties in T20Is (38) alongside Pakistan's Babar Azam

#Virat Kohli signs off as the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history--1292 runs in 35 matches with 15 fifties

#Kohli is the only player to win the Man of the Tournament award twice in T20 World Cups

#Kohli was the first player to score 4000 runs in T20Is

#He also has the most Player of the Series awards in T20Is (7)

#Kohli finished as the highest run-scorers in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups

In the latter stages of his career, Kohli has had to evolve his T20 game to keep up with the changing nature of the format and has done that to his best abilities. As the legendary player bids goodbye to T20Is, the world of cricket will look forward to having Kohli dominate proceedings in the other two formats for years to come.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2024 03:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).