Virat Kohli ends T20 career on a high as India wins World Cup
India's Virat Kohli carries the winners' trophy as he celebrates after India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ramon Espinosa]
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Right up to the Twenty20 World Cup final, there were question marks about whether India should persist with playing Virat Kohli. One of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced just wasn’t scoring. He’d tallied 75 runs in seven games. India won every game but Kohli was reduced to a concerning afterthought. Captain and fellow opener Rohit Sharma insisted throughout that Kohli wasn’t going anywhere. His faith was repaid in the final against South Africa on Saturday, when Kohli led India’s batting with 76 from 59 balls in a competitive total of 176-7. The bowlers brilliantly defended the total to win a thriller by seven runs and make India a world champion for the first time in 13 years. Sharma says, “None of us doubted him.”
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India's Virat Kohli shares a laugh with teammates at the presentation ceremony after defeating South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ricardo Mazalan