India’s striker, Rohit Sharma, called time during his T20i career in June 2024. The announcement had come just after India won the T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli first put curtains on his T20i career after the victory in the title and Rohit followed him with a similar announcement. The next day, Jadeja Ravi will also left the format at the highest level, which saw three veterans of the game leaving a huge void in the team. After more than 10 months of announcement, Rohit explained his heart while speaking of the decision.
“If we had not won the T20 World Cup, I would have announced my retirement anyway because I had tried enough. It is not) just for me to continue. You have to give chances to others. But after winning, you feel that you still have it in you; you play well, and you have also given the result, so why not? Why not continue?” Rohit told Journalist Vimal Kumar on the latter’s YouTube channel.
“Because this place you won, in no case, you came like that. You worked very hard for that. I know what I did in my life and all the things I have experienced for getting this. So I have an idea of all these things. So why do you want to go? If you hit well, giving results, so why?” He added.
While announcing his T20i retirement in 2024, Rohit said: “It was also my last game. No better time to say goodbye. I really wanted this (trophy). It’s very difficult to put words.”
“This is what I wanted and it happened. I was very desperate for that in my life. Happy that we crossed the line this time,” he added.
His announcement had occurred from the second title of the T20 World Cup in India, a victory that brought immense joy and pride to the nation.
Rohit’s retirement marked the end of an illustrious T20i career during which he became the top scorer in the format, amassing 4,231 points in 159 games. He also holds the record for more centuries in the T20 internationals, with five in his name. His T20i trip started with the first T20 World Cup in 2007, where he was a key player in the first victory in India. As a captain, he led India to their second title, further cementing his inheritance.
Earlier this month, Rohit also called time in his test career. It is now active only in ODIs for India, while continuing to play cricket T20 for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
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