India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 marked the end of an era, with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja all calling time on their T20I careers. Almost a year later, Rohit has finally opened up on why he stepped away from the format, admitting that he had already made up his mind before the final. “Had we not won the T20 World Cup, I would have announced my retirement anyway because I had tried enough. It is (was) not fair for me to continue. You have to give chances to others,” Rohit told Vimal Kumar on the journalist’s YouTube channel. The veteran batter, who played a pivotal role both as captain and senior batter, said the moment meant a lot because of what he had to endure to reach that stage. “But after winning, you feel that you still have it in you; you are playing well, and you have given the result as well, so why not? Why not continue?... Because this place that you have earned, by no means came to you just like that. You worked really hard for it. I know what all I have done in my life and all the things I have gone through to get this. So why do you want to leave? If you are batting well, giving results, then why?” End of an era: Rohit's record-breaking legacy and future plans Earlier this month, the 37-year-old also retired from Test cricket. While he continues to be available for ODIs, Rohit’s presence in T20s is now limited to the Indian Premier League, where he still plays for the Mumbai Indians. Also READ: Jasprit Bumrah Rules Out Test Captaincy Due to Workload While announcing his T20I retirement after lifting the trophy in Barbados last June, Rohit had said: “This was my last game as well. No better time to say goodbye. I wanted this (trophy) badly. It’s very hard to put in words. This what I wanted and it happened. I was very desperate for this in my life. Happy that we crossed the line this time,” he said. Rohit Sharma walked away from the format as the highest run-getter in T20 internationals with 4231 runs in 159 matches, including a record five centuries. He was part of both India’s T20 World Cup wins- first as a youngster in 2007, then as a leader in 2024.