Lasting legacy: Virat Kohli's best T20 World Cup innings

The T20 World Cup final's Player of the Match--Virat Kohli-- certainly bowed out on a high.

Finishing a stellar T20I career with a player of the match performance - that's just quintessential Virat Kohli.

He ended his international career in the format with the most runs of any player at Men's T20 World Cups - 1,292 between 2012 and 2024, in 33 innings across 35 matches.

What's more, he averages 58.72, with a strike-rate of 128.81.

As he steps back from representing India in T20 internationals, it's a fine time to look back at some of his superlative performances in T20 World Cups.

78* v Pakistan, 2012
A memorable match in Colombo in the Super Eights, as Kohli scored 78 not out off 61 balls, forming a vital third-wicket partnership with Yuvraj Singh to grab India an eight-wicket win.

It wasn't just his batting prowess that got Kohli the Player of the Match award, though; he also weighed in with the ball, taking 1/21.

72* v South Africa, 2014
Chasing a target of 173 in the semi-final, it was a stage set for Kohli. He hit 72 off 43 balls, including five fours and two sixes, to steer India through to the final. They finished as runners-up, but Kohli was named player of the tournament, having scored the most runs with 319 to his credit.

82* v Australia, 2016
Kohli saw another run-chase home in Mohali, looking to reach 161 but with India teetering at 49/3. With the innings shored up, they then needed 39 from the final 18 balls - and Kohli came out firing, hitting 32 off 11 and steering his side to the Super 10 stage win.

82* v Pakistan, 2022
Kohli never knows when he's beaten. With India on 31/4, chasing a target of 160, it needed a superlative performance from a superlative player.

And that's what the MCG crowd got as he partnered with Hardik Pandya to sneak an unlikely win in the final ball of this Super 12 match, finishing with 82 runs off just 53 balls.

76 v South Africa, 2024
What a way to sign off. Virat Kohli is the man for the big occasion. Brushing off his ambivalent form in the tournament prior to the Final, he stepped up to hit 76 off 59, securing himself yet another Player of the Match award as India won the T20 World Cup 2024 by seven runs.