As Virat Kohli walked up to the podium to collect his Man of the Match award following India’s historic T20 World Cup win, there was a hint of sadness hidden in his eyes surrounded by a sense of fulfilment. Just as he received the award, it started raining, almost as if the sky was crying for what was about to follow. Virat Kohli made what was a moment filled with happiness for all Indians, into a bittersweet moment.
He started his speech by saying, “Well, this was my last T20 World Cup, and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve.” When asked about the change in his approach in the Final, Kohli replied, “It was a now-or-never situation. This is my last T20 game playing for India, it’s the last World Cup I was going to play, so I wanted to make the most out of it.”
And it didn’t stop there, during the post-match press conference Rohit Sharma had this to say. “This was my last T20I game as well. I have enjoyed since the time I started playing this format. And no better time to say goodbye to this format. I loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. I wanted to win the cup.”
Nothing hurts more than saying goodbye to 2 legends of the game. While it is undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for all ICT fans, it was something that was inevitable. In fact, there couldn’t have been a more complete and beautiful moment for Rohirat to retire from T20Is. Often successful people do not know when the right time to step down is. It is truly commendable what Rohirat have achieved for India and they will always have a place in our hearts. As Virat Kohli said, “It is time for the new generation,” and indeed it is. All we can say is, Thank You, For all the great memories Rohirat.
