“I was going to retire”, Virat Kohli opens up about shocking decision after T20 World Cup knock

Indian star cricketer and ex-captain Virat spoke about how he transformed the aspects of his T20 cricket and what it felt like to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 for him.

After decades of pursuing the coveted ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy, Virat Kohli bid farewell to T20Is on the highest possible note—leading India to a much-awaited World Cup trophy with a match-winning performance in the final.

His 76 from 59 took India toward a match-winning score, their first world title in the T20 format since 2007. Kohli was awarded the Player of the Match for his performance.

Having ended as the top run-scorer (741 runs) of the 2024 season of the IPL, Kohli had a lean patch of form early in the Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring 75 runs in seven innings before rebounding with an incredible knock in the last one.

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Kohli discussed his response to the outcome in depth on the RCB Podcast.

When asked if he was proud of rapidly overcoming the bad period and contributing to the summit clash when it counted the most, Kohli replied that he was “grateful”.

He had already decided to retire from T20Is after the ICC event, whatever of the eventual outcome. The veteran saved Team India despite losing three wickets quickly in the powerplay.

“I was more grateful than proud. I knew I was going to retire after that, irrespective of that [result]; my decision was made and I was very clear that this was my last T20 tournament.”

Discussing his personal performance, Kohli was pleasantly delighted by the way in which runs fell off his bat on the day.

Virat Kohli discusses his T20 World Cup final Match Performance

“And I was just grateful for the fact that I was not able to get runs through the tournament and how I was put in the pressure situation again,” Virat stated. “I was walking in with no confidence, and suddenly you get three boundaries.”

“I was like, ‘What is this game?’ One day you aren’t getting any runs, and then you walk into the biggest game of your career and things just start happening.”

“Then you understand this is the amount of hard work, and then when you arrive to the ground, whatever has to take place will take place.”

“Preparation is in my hands. The result isn’t. My only job is to stay true to my instincts. If I feel like hitting the ball, I have to hit the ball; that is my only responsibility.

As Kohli shines for his team in the IPL, at the top of the run charts in the 2025 league, the batter broke down his retirement from the format by saying that he realized that India’s next generation of batters were capable of taking the side’s game to the next level.