BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Right up to the Twenty20 World Cup final, there were question marks about whether India should persist with playing Virat Kohli.

One of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced just wasn’t scoring.

He’d tallied 75 runs in seven games, including two ducks. India won every game but Kohli was reduced to a concerning afterthought, saved by the middle order and bowlers.

The humbling scores followed a spectacular Indian Premier League for Kohli, who set or extended tournament records in scoring 741 runs at an average of nearly 62.

Rohit’s faith was repaid in the final against South Africa on Saturday, when Kohli led India’s batting with 76 from 59 balls in a competitive total of 176-7. The bowlers brilliantly defended the total to win a thriller by seven runs and make India a world champion for the first time in 13 years.

After being named man of the match, Kohli said it was his last T20 international.

“One day you feel like you can’t get a run, but one day things just click,” he said.

“I am so proud to get the runs for the team on the day it mattered most. The occasion prompted that change for me, I felt like it was now or never. We have wanted to lift a trophy for a long time. The occasion made me put my head down, respect the situation and play the innings that the team needed from me.”