Virat Kohli retired from T20 Internationals on Saturday (June 29) after starring with the bat in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory over South Africa in the final in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Kohli scored crucial 76 runs and was adjudged the Player of the match in the final.

After receiving his award, Kohli said this was his last game for India, ending his 14-year T20I journey. He made his T20I debut in June 2010 against Zimbabwe.

“This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” Kohli said after India’s win in a global tournament after 11 years.

“One day you feel like you can’t get a run and this happens, God is great. (It is) just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup,” he said.

“Yes I have, this was an open secret (retirement). Not something that I wasn’t going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward,” Kohli confirmed when asked if he was making the official announcement about him calling it a day.

The 35-year-old Kohli played 125 T20Is for India and scored 4,188 runs with one hundred and 38 half centuries.

“It’s been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament. You look at someone like Rohit (Sharma), he’s played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth.

“He deserves it. It’s been difficult to hold things (emotions) back and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s an amazing day and I’m thankful,” Kohli added.