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West Indies iconic duo Chirs Gayle and Ian Bishop congratulated India for their success in the T20 World Cup final and had special praise in store for stalwart batter Virat Kohli, who brought an end to his international career.
The second-highest T20I run-scorer with 4,188 runs and the highest run-getter in the history of the T20 World Cup, with 1292 runs, Kohli decided to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career in the shortest format of the game in the international circuit. Kohli spent time chasing the shadows of his former self for the majority of the tournament. Before the final, Kohli's statistics were in complete contrast to his tally for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. But when the situation mattered most, Kohli stood out with his game-changing knock of 76 off 59 deliveries laced with six fours and two towering maximums against South Africa in the final. Gayle who backed Kohli to shine in the T20 World Cup final lavished praise on the 35-year-old after his last dance in Indian colours in the T20I format. "Virat Kohli always comes to the crunch, and he makes that punch he did that in the final. Congratulations India it was a good game. Hard luck to South Africa," Gayle told ANI. Bishop felt that Kohli's announcement to end his T20I career after ending India's 11-year hiatus of an ICC trophy was the best way to go. "This is the best way to go (Virat Kohli's retirement). You want to go out with people grasping for more. I am happy for him personally. This has been a tough tournament, but this is a step-up class in his career," Bishop told Media. From New York to Barbados, India were flawless throughout their campaign and became the first team to lift the coveted title as an unbeaten side. Bishop believes that India got rewarded for all the hard work that they put in to bag their second T20 World Cup trophy. "India planned well and executed well. They were led well by Rohit Sharma but more than him, led by Virat in the final, led by Bumrah also in the tournament. This is an excellent bonus for all the hard work they put in. With all the results India have, they will be hoping this is another start to the long run," Bishop added. Kohli's match-winning knock took India closer to their dream by propelling them to a competitive total of 176/7. Despite a nervy defence, India managed to defend the total and clinch a 7-run win to lift their second T20 World Cup title. (ANI)
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