NEW DELHI: Indian cricket on Sunday savoured World Cup victory while also coming to terms with the T20 retirements of modern-day greats, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Both Rohit and Kohli called time on their T20 careers for India after the cricketing powerhouse edged South Africa to clinch its second T20 World Cup title in Barbados on Saturday.
The two batting stalwarts have carried the dreams of a cricket-crazy nation for over 15 years and ended the shortest format at their peak.
Kohli’s match-winning 76 earned him the player of the final award, and Rohit led the team from the front with three half-centuries in the tournament, in which India remained unbeaten.
“It has been so amazing playing with them for so many years. We all will miss them but... this is the best farewell we can give them,” Hardik Pandya, Rohit’s deputy in the tournament, said after the win.
Roger Binny, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team and is now president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), termed the two stalwarts’ exit a “great loss.”
He said it would be tough to replace them immediately, despite India’s good pool of T20 players in the Indian Premier League.
Kohli, 35, won his second World Cup crown after the 2011 ODI win under M.S. Dhoni, who also led India to title victory in T20’s showpiece event in 2007 at the inaugural edition.
A rookie Rohit, now 37, was part of the first T20 triumph when India beat arch-rivals Pakistan in the final in Johannesburg.
The two stalwarts, who have 45,961 runs between them across three international formats, will stay on in Test and ODI cricket.
The title clash with South Africa was also the last match for outgoing coach Rahul Dravid, a former captain who left the international stage as a player without a World Cup win.
Dravid, 51, said he will miss Rohit as a person more than just as a captain and player who amassed runs and records.
Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir is widely reported to succeed Dravid as coach of the high-profile Indian team.
Gambhir, who remained a key part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup win at home, coached IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title this year.
“There was speculation that some senior players will be sent off after Gambhir comes in (as coach), but both Rohit and Kohli ended on a high note,” former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
“It was a good decision by both. Before anybody sacks them, or creates a doubt about their selection, a big player should decide their own fate.”
The T20 triumph has been redemption for Rohit, who was stripped of his IPL captaincy from Mumbai Indians this year.
Pandya was handed the leadership role, much to the disappointment of many fans.
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.
All-rounder Pandya will be Rohit’s likely replacement as leader in the T20 format, but batsman Suryakumar Yadav also remains in the fray for the role.
Rohit succeeded Kohli as white-ball skipper in 2021 and became all-format captain months later with BCCI and fans getting uneasy over India’s global title drought since their Champions Trophy win in 2013.
But Pandya said there was “a lot of time” before the next T20 World Cup in 2026 for India to prepare.
“I am very happy for both Rohit and Virat, two giants and legends of Indian cricket, (they) thoroughly deserved this,” he said.
End of an era as India faces T20 future without Kohli, Rohit
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End of an era as India faces T20 future without Kohli, Rohit
- Two batting stalwarts have carried dreams of cricket-crazy nation for over 15 years, ended shortest format at their peak
- Former players say tough to replace them immediately, despite India’s good pool of T20 players in Indian Premier League
Power battle as Sabalenka clashes with Rybakina for Australian Open title
- Showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight
MELBOURNE: Fire meets fire when hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka clashes with big-serving Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday.
The showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight.
They know each other very well, having met 14 times previously, and it is a rematch of the 2023 title decider at Rod Laver Arena.
The Belarusian Sabalenka prevailed on that occasion, fighting back from a set down to win her first Grand Slam crown.
The world number one won it again in 2024, but was denied a hat-trick last year when she was stunned in the final by the American Madison Keys.
The meeting with the Kazakh Rybakina will be her fourth Melbourne final in a row, and she is expecting an almighty tussle.
“Her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with, but we have a great history,” said the 27-year-old, who defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.
“She’s an incredible player,” she added of the Moscow-born Rybakina, whose only major title so far is Wimbledon in 2022.
“We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played.
“I’m looking forward to battling this power,” the top seed added with a smile.
Sabalenka goes into the final in scintillating form, having won all of her 11 matches in 2026 without dropping a set.
She lifted the Brisbane title before coming to Melbourne and is also the reigning US Open champion, underlining her prowess on hard courts.
After being well beaten on Thursday, Svitolina said that Sabalenka was “on fire.”
“She feels very comfortable here on these courts,” she added.
“Of course she won here a couple of times, so I think she has this confidence playing here.”
‘Fight till the end’
Sabalenka will be favorite, but recent history actually favors the 26-year-old Rybakina.
While Sabalenka leads their head-to-head record 8-6, Rybakina won the last time they met, in the decider at the WTA Finals in November in Saudi Arabia, in straight sets.
Rybakina is also on a terrific run of form of her own.
She lost in the quarter-finals in Brisbane, but that is her only defeat in 14 matches.
She has been quietly impressive in Melbourne, her victims including world number two Iga Swiatek and world number six Jessica Pegula.
Pegula gave an insight into what it is like facing the Kazakh, who she labelled “cool as a cucumber.”
“She’s always just tough. You know, she’s so chill. She doesn’t really give you anything,” said the American after going down 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the semifinals.
“You’re not really sure if she’s upset or if she’s excited or what it is.
“I think in today’s game that goes a long way.”
And then there’s Rybakina’s serve, the biggest in women’s tennis.
She has sent down 41 aces at the tournament, easily more than anyone else in the women’s draw.
Reflecting on their 2023 Australian final, Rybakina said both she and Sabalenka had improved and changed as players since.
But one thing remains the same — their power.
“Since we are both very aggressive players, serve is important,” said Rybakina.
She added: “Hopefully the serve is going to help me on Saturday, but even if it’s not, I’m going to still try to find my way.
“(I will) fight till the end, and hopefully this time it’s going to go my way.”
