Former India captain Virat Kohli on Monday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his encouraging words for him when the PM called the Indian team following its triumph in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday night. Prime Minister Modi spoke over the phone with all members of the Indian team that defeated South Africa by seven runs, talking them up for the roles they played in the country winning their second T20 World Cup title. Virat Kohli top-scored with 76 as India scored 176/7 in 20 overs and then restricted South Africa to 169/8. Soon after India’s triumph, Kohli announced his retirement from T20I cricket.

Kohli took to social media to thank Prime Minister Modi for his encouraging words.

“Dear @narendramodi sir, thank you so much for your very kind words and your support and encouragement always. It has been a privilege to be a part of this team that has brought the cup home. We are deeply touched & overwhelmed with the happiness it has brought the entire nation,” said Kohli in his post on X, formerly Twitter.

PM Modi praised Kohli for his crucial knock in the final.

“Dear @imVkohli, Glad to have spoken to you.

Like the innings in the final, you have anchored Indian batting splendidly. You’ve shone in all forms of the game. T20 Cricket will miss you but I am confident you’ll continue to motivate the new generation of players,” Modi said in a post on his official handle on X.

Though Kohli has had a disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup he came good when it mattered most — in the final. He scored 76 off 59 balls, studded with six fours and two sixes as he anchored the Indian innings after skipper Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav were out in quick succession as India were reduced to 34/3 in the fifth over.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)