Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from international T20 cricket after India beat South Africa in the World Cup final in Barbados.
Kohli broke his poor performance in the tournament where he scored 75 runs in seven innings at an average of 11 runs below, scoring 76 runs off 59 balls in his team's aggregate score of 176-7.
After India crushed South Africa 169-8 to win their second T20 World Cup and first since 2007, the 35-year-old confirmed in his player of the year interview that he will now call it quits in T20Is.
Captain Rohit, 37, said in the post-match press conference that he too is retiring from this format after amassing 4,231 runs in 159 matches with five tons and 32 half-centuries.
Kohli retired from T20Is with 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 in 125 matches, with 38 fifties and one hundred.
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Kohli said it was time for India's new generation to take the T20I team forward.
'It's time for a new generation to come to India'
“This was my last T20 World Cup,” he said.
“It is time for a new generation to emerge for India. We have amazing players coming and they need to take this team forward now.
“Some days I felt like I couldn’t run, but other days everything went well. I’m really proud to run for the team on the most important day.
“That incident changed me. It was now or never.
Kohli's innings supported India's total of 176-7 against South Africa at Kensington Oval.
“We have wanted to lift a trophy for a long time and that opportunity allowed me to keep my head down, respect the situation and play the innings the team needed from me.
“Before today, I couldn't feel myself. I didn't have confidence. So now I'm really grateful and humbled. I have a lot of emotions because it was difficult.
“It still doesn’t feel real. It’s an amazing day. I’m so thankful.”
Rohit Sharma captained India to their first T20 World Cup title since 2007.
Rohit said: “This was also my last game. There is no better time to say goodbye to this format. I loved every moment of it.
“I started my India career in T20s and this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to win the Cup and say goodbye.”
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