Ahmed Shehzad pays a glorifying tribute to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their retirement
Published - 30 Jun 2024, 12:35 PM | Updated - 24 Aug 2024, 03:20 AM
Veteran Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ended their glorious international T20 careers after the team's victory during the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024. Former T20 World Cup champion Ahmed Shehzad paid tribute to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on retirement from T20I cricket.
The Indian team registered a seven-run victory over South Africa in a thrilling encounter at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. Rohit Sharma became the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to lift the World Cup trophy. Notably, India ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought.
Following the match, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced that it was their last T20 World Cup for India. The batsmen also confirmed their retirement from the shorter format of the game to give chances to youngsters. Rohit represented the national team in nine T20 World Cups, while Virat participated in six.
The Greatest Of Our Generation - Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad took to Twitter (formerly known as X) to congratulate Virat Kohli on his remarkable T20I career. Shehzad said that Kohli ended his T20I career on a high note by winning the World Cup and receiving the Man of the Match award. He described Kohli as the greatest of their generation.
"Congratulations on an incredible T20I career @imVkohli. What a fitting way to end your career by winning the World Cup and getting Man of the Match award in it. The greatest of our generation ❤️ #T20WorldCup," Shehzad tweeted.
Congratulations on an incredible T20I career @<!---->i<!---->m<!---->V<!---->k<!---->o<!---->h<!---->l<!---->i. What a fitting way to end your career by winning the World Cup and getting Man of the Match award in it. The greatest of our generation ❤️ #<!---->T<!---->2<!---->0<!---->W<!---->o<!---->r<!---->l<!---->d<!---->C<!---->u<!---->p p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->6<!---->O<!---->a<!---->u<!---->A<!---->9<!---->9<!---->f<!---->7<!---->v
— Ahmad Shahzad 🇵🇰 (@iamAhmadshahzad) J<!---->u<!---->n<!---->e<!----> <!---->2<!---->9<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4
Virat Kohli faced scrutiny over his batting form during the T20 World Cup due to a series of poor performances. However, he redeemed himself by scoring 76 runs off 59 balls in the final match. He helped India post a total of 176/7 in 20 overs despite a difficult start. He earned him the Player of the Match award.
The 35-year-old scored 4188 runs in 125 matches at an impressive average of 48.7 and a strike rate of 137.04 in his illustrious T20I career. The right-handed batter scored 38 half-centuries and one century. He scored 1,292 runs in T20 World Cups at an incredible average of 58.72, including 15 half-centuries.
There's No Better Way To Hang Your Boots - Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad also congratulated Rohit Sharma on his outstanding T20I career. The 32-year-old noted that retiring after winning an ICC event as captain was a fitting way to end. Shehzad praised Rohit's leadership and India's preparation for the T20 World Cup.
"Many congratulations to @ImRo45 on a stellar T20I career. There's no better way to hang your boots just after you've won an ICC event as captain. Rohit's captaincy and India's preparation for the #T20WorldCup was absolutely fantastic. And what a picture ❤️ @imVkohli," Shehzad added.
Many congratulations to @<!---->I<!---->m<!---->R<!---->o<!---->4<!---->5 on a stellar T20I career. There's no better way to hang your boots just after you've won an ICC event as captain. Rohit's captaincy and India's preparation for the #<!---->T<!---->2<!---->0<!---->W<!---->o<!---->r<!---->l<!---->d<!---->C<!---->u<!---->p was absolutely fantastic. And what a picture ❤️ @<!---->i<!---->m<!---->V<!---->k<!---->o<!---->h<!---->l<!---->i p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->h<!---->a<!---->S<!---->k<!---->x<!---->b<!---->r<!---->O<!---->9<!---->N
— Ahmad Shahzad 🇵🇰 (@iamAhmadshahzad) J<!---->u<!---->n<!---->e<!----> <!---->2<!---->9<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4
Rohit Sharma scored 92 and 57 against Australia and England, respectively, despite a low score in the final. He ended as the tournament's second-highest run-getter with 257 runs at an average of 36.71. Rohit also concluded his T20I career as the highest run scorer with 4231 runs in 159 matches at an average of 31.34.
