Team India produced a brilliant performance on Saturday to clinch the T20 World Cup title, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC title. Emotions ran high among the Indian players, particularly the more senior side members like captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who endured multiple disappointments since 2013 in major ICC tournaments.
With the T20 World Cup in his trophy cabinet, Kohli completed his limited-overs trophy set; he lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy. While Kohli had also clinched the ICC Test Mace as captain, he has yet to win a World Test Championship medal, which is now the major ICC title in the longest format.
India suffered tough defeats in both of their WTC finals. In 2021, the side lost to New Zealand under Kohli's captaincy, while in the 2023 final, Australia defeated the Rohit Sharma-led side at The Oval. In the ongoing cycle of the tournament, India are currently at the top of the table with six wins in nine matches and will be aiming to secure another final berth next year.
As the celebrations for the T20 World Cup victory continued in the dressing room, the outgoing head coach, Rahul Dravid, reminded Kohli of completing his trophy set with a loud and clear message to the batting stalwart. As the duo celebrated, Dravid told Kohli, “All three whites ticked off. One red to go. Tick it.”
Watch the moment here:
{{/usCountry}}As the celebrations for the T20 World Cup victory continued in the dressing room, the outgoing head coach, Rahul Dravid, reminded Kohli of completing his trophy set with a loud and clear message to the batting stalwart. As the duo celebrated, Dravid told Kohli, “All three whites ticked off. One red to go. Tick it.”
Watch the moment here:
{{/usCountry}}Widely regarded as one of the best modern-day batters, Kohli retired from T20Is following the final, where he played a crucial role in India's innings. After the side lost three big wickets of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav inside the Powerplay, Kohli did what he does best – bide his time at the crease and maintain a steady flow of runs.
He scored a crucial 76, forging a partnership with Axar Patel (47) to help India reach a fighting score of 176/7. Despite South Africa reaching dangerously close to the score – they required only 26 off 24 deliveries at one stage – the Indian bowlers then pulled the side back with crucial wickets, eventually securing a 7-run win.