New Delhi: Captain Rohit Sharma, whose vision was to transform the team without being overly concerned about the outcome, concluded his T20I career in Barbados with a coveted T20 World Cup championship.
After a hard-fought battle, the Rohit-led Indian squad defeated South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final to win their second title in the format. This ended their ten-year ICC trophy drought. Under Rohit’s direction, the Men in Blue lost to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup finals and the World Test Championship, but their perseverance and dedication led them to this historic victory.
The swashbuckling opening batsman also gave credit to former head coach Rahul Dravid, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah for their invaluable support in turning the team around and instilling a culture of fearlessness. Their guidance and belief in the team were instrumental in their success.
In his retirement speech, Rohit Sharma shared, “It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results. I also want to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars: Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” in a video posted by BCCI on X.
At the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023–24 in Mumbai on Wednesday, Dravid received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his significant contributions to Indian cricket, while Rohit was named the “Men’s International Cricketer of the Year” For his outstanding performance in the T20 World Cup. The “ODI Bowler of the Year” went to Mohammed Shami, who was instrumental in India’s bowling attack, while India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli was named the “Men’s ODI Batter of the Year” for his consistent performance in the ODI format.
The 37-year-old batsman Rohit Sharma significantly contributed to the team’s success, scoring 257 runs, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 156.70 in the T20 World Cup. His performance, ranking him second in the tournament, was crucial in providing the team with strong starts on the challenging pitches of the West Indies and the USA, a feat that the audience can celebrate and take pride in.
Following their title win, Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from T20I, a significant moment in Indian cricket. Rohit, with 4,231 runs, is the second-highest run-getter in the format, behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both players will continue to contribute in other formats. The duo’s last appearance for India was in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
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–IANS
