T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya pen down emotional messages following India's group-stage exit
Following Team India's devastating group-stage exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup, several members of the squad took to their social media handles to share heartfelt messages.
Virat Kohli, who played his last match as India's captain in T20Is on Monday, acknowledged that the unit failed to deliver on the big stage this time. He added that the team is utterly disappointed after their underwhelming campaign in the multi-nation tournament.
However, the champion batter thanked fans for their unwavering support and promised to bounce back with improved performances in the future. Here's what he posted after India's final Super 12's fixture against Namibia:
"Together as one, we set out to achieve our goal. Unfortunately, we fell short and no one is more disappointed than us as a side. The support from all of you has been fantastic and we are grateful for it all. We will aim to come back stronger and put our best foot forward. Jai Hind 🇮🇳."
The 33-year-old had earlier announced his decision to relinquish the team's captaincy from the shortest format. Kohli will, however, continue to lead the Men in Blue in ODIs and Test matches.
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"Not the ideal World Cup result for us, but we learn and grow" - KL Rahul
Taking to his social media accounts, KL Rahul expressed gratitude for all the support from fans during the competition. He also admitted that the result did not go in India's favor.
The right-hander thanked the coaching staff alongside Virat Kohli for their significant contribution. Here's what KL Rahul posted:
"Not the ideal World Cup result for us, but we learn and grow. Grateful to all our fans for the love and support. Thank you to our coaches for helping us grow as cricketers. A big shout-out to @virat.kohli for being a leader who led by example and for everything you have done for us. 🇮🇳."
The dynamic opening batter dazzled viewers with his superlative batting performances at the ICC event. With 195 runs from five games, he finished the tournament as India's leading run-scorer.
"This wasn’t how we wanted our World Cup campaign to go" - Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya also dedicated a post to thank Team India's fans for cheering for them during the tournament.
The flamboyant all-rounder noted that the side did not have an ideal campaign for this year's ICC event, but promised supporters of making amends by putting in more effort and hard work.
Pandya wrote:
"This wasn’t how we wanted our World Cup campaign to go. We fell short but we will work twice as hard to repay the faith and support shown to us by our fans. Thank you to everyone who cheered us on at the stadiums and everyone back home."
The Indian cricket team thrashed Namibia in their last encounter at the T20 World Cup 2021 to secure a comfortable win.
However, their losses to Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two fixtures ultimately cost them a place in the all-important semi-finals.
The Indian think-tank is set to undergo massive changes with Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri's long-standing association coming to an end.
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid is set to take over as the head coach of the Indian team. It remains to be seen who will be named as Virat Kohli's replacement in the T20Is.