Legends depart, doubts linger

Thousands of fans flooded the streets, driving past the iconic Wankhede stadium, chanting patriotic slogans of ‘Long live India' from their cars and bikes. Despite India's top rankings in T20s and ODIs and second place in Tests, their history of stumbling in ICC knockout stages persisted.

Last year, Rohit Sharma and Co. came excruciatingly close to clinching the ICC World Cup on home turf, only to succumb to Australia in a tense final at Ahmedabad's grand Motera stadium. However, displaying remarkable composure, the team maintained their nerve in a tightly contested finale on Saturday, with pace bowler Hardik Pandya coolly defending 16 runs in the final over.

South Africa, making their debut appearance in a World Cup final, appeared poised to chase down the target, needing 30 runs from the last five overs. However, Indian bowlers tightened the screws, causing South Africa to falter. On a Saturday that marked a historic triumph for Indian cricket, fans celebrated India's World Cup glory while also grappling with the retirements from T20 cricket of two modern-day legends, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Both Rohit and Kohli bid farewell to T20 cricket for India, ending a remarkable era where they had carried the hopes and dreams of a cricket-loving nation for over 15 years. Kohli's pivotal innings of 76 not out in the final earned him the ‘Player of the Match' award, while Rohit's leadership and three half-centuries throughout the tournament underscored his impact as captain. Under their stewardship, India remained unbeaten throughout the competition.

"It has been an incredible journey playing alongside them for so many years. We will all miss them dearly, but this victory is the best farewell we could give them," remarked Hardik Pandya, Rohit's deputy during the tournament.

Kohli secured his second World Cup crown following the 2011 ODI triumph under MS Dhoni's captaincy. Dhoni had also led India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, where a young Rohit had played a pivotal role in the final against Pakistan in Johannesburg. Together, Kohli and Rohit amassed an impressive 45,961 runs across all three international formats and will continue to contribute in Test and ODI cricket.

The final showdown against South Africa also marked the swansong for coach Rahul Dravid, the former Indian captain whose illustrious playing career never included a World Cup victory. Dravid, 51, bid farewell with mixed emotions, emphasising that he would miss Rohit not only as a captain but also as a person who made significant contributions on and off the field.

For Rohit, the World Cup victory was a redemption of sorts, especially after facing the disappointment of losing his captaincy for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL earlier that year. The leadership reins were handed to Pandya amidst some fan discontent, but Rohit's resilience and determination shone through in the World Cup triumph.

Kohli, renowned for his ability to perform under pressure in crucial matches, demonstrated his big-match temperament with a match-winning innings of 76 runs off 59 balls in the final. This stellar performance came after a relatively subdued tournament where he had managed just 75 runs in seven innings leading up to the finale.

Looking ahead, all-rounder Pandya appears to be the natural successor to Rohit as the leader in the T20 format, although batsman Suryakumar Yadav remains a contender for the role. Rohit had taken over as India's white-ball captain in 2021 and assumed the mantle of all-format captain shortly thereafter, amid growing impatience among BCCI officials and fans over India's drought of global titles since their Champions Trophy victory in 2013.

This transition within the team may have been inevitable, but it is without an iota of doubt that their departure, along with coach Dravid's farewell, leaves a void that will challenge India's cricketing establishment to identify and nurture new talent.