Virat Kohli has responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special message to him after the victory in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
India defeated South Africa by 7 runs to win the T20 World Cup for the second time and the first since winning the inaugural edition in 2007. Virat Kohli, who had struggled with the bat till the semi-final, shone with the bat in the final and was the leading scorer in the match.
India was trailing 34-34 in 5 overs before their former captain scored 76 runs and posted a challenging total of 176-6 in 20 overs. In reply, South Africa finished their innings at 169-8. After the win, PM Modi spoke to the Indian team members on the phone and congratulated them on the monumental triumph.
He later posted special messages on X for Virat Kohli as well as Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid. Both Kohli and Rohit announced their retirement from T20Is after the game while the tournament was Dravid’s last assignment. The PM praised Kohli for his match-winning knock in the final and posted a special message on X.
Kohli responded to PM Modi’s message on Monday (July 1). In an interview with X, the Indian batting superstar thanked the PM for encouraging him and wrote:
“Dear Sir @narendramodi, thank you so much for your kind words and for your continued support and encouragement. It has been a privilege to be a part of this team that brought the cup home. We are deeply moved and overwhelmed by the happiness you have brought to the entire nation.
Dear Sir @narendramodi, thank you so much for your kind words and for your continued support and encouragement. It has been a privilege to be a part of this team that brought the cup home. We are deeply touched and overwhelmed by the happiness you have brought to the entire nation.
– Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 1, 2024
Virat Kohli’s Brilliant T20I Career:
Virat Kohli retired from T20Is as one of the most decorated batsmen in the format. The batting stalwart made his debut in the shortest format of the game in 2010 and played in the inaugural T20 World Cup for the first time in 2012.
It didn’t take long for him to become an integral member of the T20I team before becoming the mainstay of the batting unit. Virat Kohli represented India in a total of 125 T20Is and ended his career as the second-highest run-scorer in the format. Only Rohit Sharma scored more runs than him in T20Is.
In 125 matches, Kohli scored 4188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He scored one century and 38 half-centuries in T20Is. His record in the T20 World Cup is equally impressive. Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament. In 35 matches, he has scored 1292 runs with the help of a record 15 fifties.
