Rohit Sharma after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (PC: ICC)
He went into the Champions Trophy final with the retirement vibes in the air, his international future reportedly hanging in the balance. The response from Rohit Sharma was an 83-ball 76 that gave him the Player-of-the-Match award and an embrace from head coach Gautam Gambhir. The skipper led from the front, as India beat New Zealand by four wickets to clinch the trophy.
Expectedly, Rohit was in top fettle at the post-match press conference, hitting the retirement question for a six. “I am not going to retire from this format. Just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward,” he said. A query about his future plans was the prelude. The captain responded by saying: “Koi future plan hai nahi, jo chal raha hai chalega (no future plan, whatever is happening will continue).”
A bona fide great in this format, through 11,168 runs, including 32 centuries, from 273 ODIs, Rohit’s batting exploits in the final have earned him a bigger leeway to decide things on his own terms. The fire is still burning and the hunger is there. “There’s a lot of hunger even in guys who have played a lot of cricket and it rubs off on the younger players. We have five-six players who are real stalwarts. (It) makes the job easier for all of us,” said the man who will turn 38 next month.
India played collective cricket throughout the tournament and the skipper hailed the team-effort after the triumph. Personally, the 2019 World Cup, where he scored five hundreds, was special for him. But India didn’t win and Rohit didn’t savour the individual achievements. “I scored heavily at the 2019 World Cup, but maza nahi aaya (didn’t enjoy that). The team didn’t win. When the team wins, and you make a contribution, it gives you satisfaction. I am clear in my mind how I want to bat, and that is what I am trying to do.”
