India spinner Kuldeep Yadav believes that the decision by the stalwart trio of Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli to retire from the T20I format is “personal” and that their absence will open a window of opportunity for the youngsters. The T20 World Cup final brought mixed emotions for the Indian fans. While there were tears of joy as India ended their 13-year ICC World Cup drought, there were also tears of sadness as the three star players bid farewell to the shortest format of cricket.
When Kohli announced his retirement, he said it was time to pass the baton to the younger generation.
Kuldeep shared the same view on giving opportunities to the younger generation and told ANI, “It's their personal decision. They have achieved a lot for India. I hope the youngsters get good opportunities. They announced their retirement after winning the T20 World Cup and there is no better achievement than that.”
India were in a strange situation as their required run rate dropped to six, with South Africa needing 30 runs in the last five overs to walk away with the trophy.
However, the quick trio of Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya made sure that the opponents had to sweat profusely with every run.
Their efforts helped India end their 13-year T20 World Cup drought with a 7-run win over Barbados.
“It was a good approach. We were very keen to win the World Cup. We achieved what we wanted,” Kuldeep added.
Recently, there were rumours about Kuldeep's marriage. The 'Chinaman' spinner remained tight-lipped about his future partner, saying, “There is still time for that and hopefully you will find out.”
On Thursday morning, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team landed in the capital Delhi to a warm welcome from fans eagerly awaiting a glimpse of their favourite heroes and the trophy.
After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the players held a victory parade in an open-top bus in Mumbai, from Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
The champion team was also felicitated with a prize money of Rs 125 crore by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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