‘Virat Kohli’s decision…’: Rajkumar Sharma on India star’s retirement from T20Is – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, revealed his sentiments after the player announced his retirement from the Twenty20 Internationals after winning the ICC T20 World Cup, stating it was a wise move.

The Men in Blue defeated South Africa by seven runs in Barbados on Saturday to win the coveted T20 World Cup for the second time.

Rajkumar Sharma discussed his opinions on Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Twenty20 cricket after winning the Twenty20 World Cup final with Star Sports, according to ANI.

“The decision Virat Kohli has taken is a big decision, and he has taken it on a very big occasion when India won the World Cup, and Virat Kohli won the Man of the Match award in the final. That is the highest point for any player when he says goodbye to a format from such a big stage. So it is a very big decision. I appreciate his decision as he said that he wants to give a chance to the youngsters,” Rajkumar said.


The childhood coach went on to say that he thinks after retirement, Kohli will be able to focus more on Test cricket.

“It is a very good decision, and it will help him to concentrate more on Test cricket. He likes Test cricket and he desires to perform more in the Test format. He has a very good mindset for Test cricket. I believe that he will be able to concentrate more on it and will do well for the country. I would like to congratulate the Indian team for winning the World Cup. I would like to congratulate the entire support staff, selectors, and BCCI for winning the World Cup. We have been looking for an ICC trophy for a long time, and it has been completed yesterday,” Rajkumar added.


Kohli proved his big-match credentials, with his 59-ball 76 in the final clash — after he managed just 75 runs in seven innings during the competition until the finale and was named the man of the match.

Kohli bowed out in the shortest international format with 4,188 runs in 125 matches including one century and 38 half tons since his debut in 2010.

Virat has amassed 1,292 runs at an average of 58.72 and a strike rate of 128.81 in 35 T20 World Cup games, including 15 half-centuries. He is the highest run-getter in the history of the tournament with an unbeaten 89 as his highest score.