His 76 runs off 59 balls ensured India's second ICC T20 World Cup title.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Virat Kohli has recently shared his views on his match-winning 76-run knock in the final match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. However, the all-important 76 in the final came after a lean patch of just 75 runs in seven matches of the mega ICC tournament.
While speaking about if he was proud to quickly overcome the rough patch and contribute to the summit clash, when it mattered the most, Kohli revealed that he was “grateful”. He had already made up his mind to retire from T20Is after the ICC event, regardless of the final result. The stalwart rescued Team India after losing three wickets early in the powerplay.
“I was more grateful than proud. I knew I was going to retire after that, so regardless of what happened, my decision was already made. I was very clear that it was my last T20 tournament. I was just grateful, because I hadn’t been able to score runs throughout the tournament, and once again, I was put in a pressure situation,” he said in a RCB podcast.
Notably, Kohli’s 76 runs off 59 balls and Axar Patel’s 47 runs off 31 balls helped India to put up 176/7 on the scoreboard. In the end, both these knocks proved to be crucial as India won the championship by registering a 7-run defeat over South Africa.
The modern-day great revealed that he had no confidence while entering the ground as an opener alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. However, he soon gained momentum after hitting three boundaries off the Proteas pacer Marco Jansen in the very first over.
“To be honest, I walked in with no confidence. But sometimes, when things are meant to happen for you, they just do. I got three balls, hit three boundaries, and I was thinking — what is this game? One day you feel like you can’t score a run, and the next day, you walk into one of the biggest moments of your career and everything clicks,” admitted Kohli.
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The 36-year-old acknowledged the hard work he put in throughout all these years. He believes all the efforts reflected through the knock ensured India’s ICC tournament triumph after a decade.
“Then you find yourself in a situation where the team needs you, and the performance comes through you. You can’t help but wonder — how? And that’s when you realise that all the hard work leads you to that moment. After that, whatever is meant to happen, will happen,” opined the star batter.
“Preparation is in my hands. The result isn’t. My only job is to stay true to my instincts. If I feel like hitting the ball, I have to hit the ball. Where it goes, how it turns out — that’s not in my control,” he stated.
Despite his T20 retirement back in June 2024, the chase master has shown great form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He has notched up 505 runs in 11 matches of the league stage so far with an impressive average of 63.13. The batter is also at the top of the highest run-scorers list (Orange Cap) currently, with three matches remaining.
His team RCB is also placed at the top of the IPL 2025 points table. With 16 points in 11 matches, they are well set for a top-two finish in the league. They will take on the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on May 9.
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