It appears to be India’s time, India’s moment and pretty much a new golden era of India’s dominance in the game it so ardently loves and excels at that the others simply don’t seem to weigh up (all that much). The recently concluded Ahmedabad-based World Cup final against the BlackCaps was a fine reminder of just that given the meteoric batting performance of the Indian side and the rather banal approach the chasing team displayed as the home team became the first in the world to claim 3 crowns in the T20 format. But while all was right on the cricket pitch, something was distinctly absent off it. The Virat Kohli factor. He wasn’t even in attendance to witness such a huge night for Indian cricket.
Many have since wondered what may have been that it lead to that. Why was the great Kohli not around in Gujarat for the mega night?
The T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad had plenty of memorable moments as India successfully defended their title with a commanding 96-run victory over New Zealand on Sunday. Several records were created during the contest, but one of the highlights for fans was the presence of former Indian captains MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who watched the match from the VIP box at the venue.
While supporters were delighted to see both legends in attendance, many also wondered why another stalwart of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, was not present alongside them at the final.
No official role Dhoni and Rohit attended the summit clash in an official capacity as former T20 World Cup-winning captains.
Dhoni famously led India to the title in the inaugural 2007 edition, while Rohit repeated the achievement in 2024 when India defeated South Africa in the final in Barbados.
Kohli, however, never lifted the T20 World Cup as India’s captain. As a result, unlike Dhoni and Rohit, the star batter did not have an official role associated with the event.
Family priorities
Although Kohli continues to play international cricket, he now has more time to spend with his family after stepping away from T20Is and Tests.
In an earlier interview, and it’s in the records, the veteran batter had indicated that once he eventually retires from the game, he plans to step away from the public spotlight for a while.
“Once I am done, I will be gone — you won’t see me for a while,” Kohli had said with a smile.
“So I want to give it everything I have until the time I play, and that’s the only thing that keeps me going.”
