"Couldn’t have dreamt of a better day than this" - Virat Kohli on India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph
Virat Kohli stepped up to deliver a clutch knock in India's 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. The ace batter notched up a fine half-century, scoring 76 runs off 59 balls.
The opening batter's contribution was key in the Men in Blue registering 176/7 in 20 overs despite a dismal start. India ultimately secured a thrilling seven-run victory to clinch the coveted trophy.
Following India's triumph, Kohli shared a post on his official Instagram handle to share his excitement over the team ending their 11-year ICC trophy drought. He also expressed gratitude to God, writing:
"Couldn’t have dreamt of a better day than this. God is great and I bow my head in gratitude. We finally did it 🇮🇳❤️🇮🇳❤️jai hind ❤️❤️❤️."
Virat Kohli's batting form had come under the scanner following a string of poor performances in the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the seasoned campaigner turned things around, winning the Player of the Match award in the all-important final.
"This was an open secret" - Virat Kohli announces retirement from T20Is after India's 2024 T20 World Cup win
Virat Kohli made a big announcement following India's 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Speaking at the post-match presentation of the final, he said it was his last appearance for Team India in T20Is.
The 35-year-old further mentioned that he would have retired even if India had lost the final. Suggesting that it was time for the youngsters to take India's T20I team forward, Kohli said:
"This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India."
"We wanted to lift that cup. This [his retirement from T20Is] was an open secret. 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," he added.
It is worth mentioning that with 4188 runs from 117 innings, Virat Kohli is the second-highest run-getter in T20Is after Rohit Sharma (4,231).