NEW DELHI: Former World Cup winning captain
Kapil Dev
has declared that
Virat Kohli
and
Rohit Sharma
are indispensable members of the
Indian team
in all formats. He compared their significance to that of
Sachin Tendulkar
and MS Dhoni, two legendary figures in Indian cricket history.
Following India's thrilling victory over South Africa in the
T20 World Cup
final, where Kohli played a match-winning knock of 76 runs, he announced his retirement from T20 international cricket.
In the subsequent press conference, Rohit also revealed his decision to retire from
T20Is
.
"No one can take Virat and Rohit's place in the Indian team in any format. They have been a huge servant of Indian cricket and it was a happy farewell for them. The stature that Virat has made of himself in all formats, he will surely be missed in T20Is. Both are as same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. They are irreplaceable," said Kapil Dev, who is also a president of the PGTI, to IANS on the sidelines of the Trinity Golf Championship League second edition curtain raiser event.
Kohli's journey in T20 cricket commenced in June 2010. Throughout his 14-year career, he played in 125 T20Is, accumulating an impressive 4188 runs, including one century and 38 half-centuries. His unwavering commitment and enthusiasm for the sport positioned him as the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is, closely following Rohit, who's retirement marks the end of an illustrious T20I career during which he became the format's highest scorer, amassing 4231 runs in 159 matches.
Rohit's accomplishments in T20 internationals are unparalleled, as he holds the record for the most centuries in the format, with five to his credit. His T20I journey began with the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, where he played a crucial role in India's first title victory. And, as captain, he has led India to their second title, further cementing his legacy.
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