India captain Rohit Sharma insisted that while the 50-overs World Cup would always be the pinnacle for him, winning the Champions Trophy on Sunday was no mean feat. India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final to lift an unprecedented third Champions Trophy title. Chasing 252, Rohit scored 76 laced with seven fours and three sixes to set the foundation for the chase as Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel , Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul also contributed with the bat to take the side over the line in Dubai. Amid rumours of his retirement, Rohit saved his best knock for the final.
It was Rohit’s first 30-plus score in the tournament as the opener failed to convert a good start in the last four matches.
“Whatever ICC tournament comes in front of you, you obviously want to win them all. One-day World Cup is One-Day World Cup. Because that’s the only World Cup we’ve grown up watching. We didn’t have the World Test Championships or many Champions Trophy. That’s why I said what I did earlier. But this [holding the Champions Trophy] is no less. Arre aap mujhse puucho kitna ‘WOH’ lagta hai jeetne ke liye. (Ask me how much of an effort it takes to win this),” Rohit said at a post-match press conference.
Rohit refused to play down the importance of India’s triumph, dedicating the win to the entire nation.
“A trophy is a trophy. Winning any final gives us a lot of pride. And today it’s not just me, but the entire nation is feeling immense happiness. Winning the final of any event is huge. That’s all I have to say,” he added.
After the final, former India pacer Laxmi Ratan Shukla heaped praise on Rohit’s leadership.
“It was a fantastic win. We were all talking about Rohit Sharma’s form not being great. I knew his form was good but he was getting out early. Yesterday he played cautiously and won the trophy for India. Virat Kohli got out early and after his dismissal team’s balance got uneven but Indian batters played well to claim the trophy,” Shukla told IANS on Monday.
ROHIT SHARMA MOMENT IN PRESS CONFERENCE
“Isme bhi koi kami nahi hai, Mujshe pucho
Kitna Woh lagta hai jeetne ke liye pic.twitter.com/1ywE6rXl8j
— Vikas Yadav (@VikasYadav66200) March 10, 2025
“All the criticism after the loss against New Zealand and Australia in Tests will be gone with this win. Rohit Sharma did a marvellous job in captaincy and with his batting. Virat Kohli, who was out of form, chased well against Pakistan and Australia and overall it was a fantastic team effort,” he added.
Rohit is only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win two or more ICC titles. Dhoni is the only one to win all three ICC white-ball events.
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