Virat Kohli signs off with a win, but without an ICC trophy as India's T20I captain

Virat Kohli signed off with a win as India's T20I captain as the Men in Blue defeated Namibia by 9 wicketsin their final Super 12 game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 on Monday (November 08). Kohli failed to inspire his side into the semi-finals in what was a disappointing campaign for Team India in the showpiece event in UAE.

Touted as one of the favourites for the title ahead of the start of the tournament, India faltered early on in the Super 12 stage as they suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand respectively. The consecutive defeats pushed India on the brink of early elimination while damaging their hopes of making it to the top four.

India did bounce back with two big wins against Afghanistan and Scotland to keep their top-four hopes alive. However, their fate no more lay in their own hands as they needed a favour from Afghanistan to remain alive in the competition. Afghanistan lost against New Zealand by 8 wickets on Sunday to confirm India's exit from the T20 World Cup.

New Zealand became the second team from Group 2 to qualify for the semis with eight points from five matches along with top-placed Pakistan, who remained unbeaten in the group stages with five wins in five matches. India ended their campaign with three wins from five matches in the Super 12 in what was Kohli's last tournament as the T20I captain.

The spinners did well on Monday as Ravindra Jadeja (3) and Ashwin (3) picked up six wickets between them to restrict Namibia on 132/8 after India opted to bowl first in the game. Openers KL Rahul (54*) and Rohit Sharma (56) slammed respective half-centuries as India chased down the target with 28 balls to thrash Namibia by 9wickets and bag their third win in a row in the tournament.

While Kohli signs off with a win, he would regret not helping the team reach the semi-finals as he ends his tenure without an ICC trophy in the shortest format. Kohli, who will continue to lead India in ODIs and Tests, is yet to win a major ICC trophy across all three formats of the game despite having come close on a few occasions.

In T20Is, Kohli led India to some memorable wins including series wins against England at home and away from home, and a 5-0 whitewash against New Zealand in their own backyard last year. India also defeated South Africa and Australia away from home while dominating West Indies 3-0 away from home in 2019.

The 9-wicket win against Namibia also marks an end to Ravi Shastri's tenure as the head coach of the Indian team. He will be replaced by the legendary Rahul Dravid for the New Zealand series at home after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021. It remains to be seen who will replace Kohli as India's next T20I captain.