Rohit will be 40-year-old by the time 2027 World Cup starts in South Africa.
After the triumph, Rohit Sharma attended a press conference, where he addressed the inevitable question regarding his future. The Indian captain, in his inimitable style, confirmed that he is not retiring from the ODI format.
"Koi future plan hai nahi, jo chal raha hai chalega (no future plan, whatever is happening will continue). I am not going to retire from this format," Rohit told reporters.
However, Rohit will be 38 in two months' time and with India's next major ODI tournament being the 2027 ODI World Cup, it remains to be seen how long he plays at the top level in the 50-over format.
A day after the Champions Trophy triumph, Rohit Sharma stated that he is not yet thinking about the 2027 World Cup.
"Right now, I am taking things as they come. It wouldn't be fair for me to think too far ahead. At this moment, my focus is on playing well and maintaining the right mindset. I don't want to draw any lines and say whether I will or won't play in the 2027 World Cup," Rohit said on Jio Hotstar.
"There's no point in making such statements right now. Realistically, I have always taken my career one step at a time. I don't like thinking too far into the future, and I haven't done so in the past either. For now, I am enjoying my cricket and the time I spend with this team. I hope my teammates enjoy my presence as well. That's all that matters at this point," he added.
India remained unbeaten throughout the Champions Trophy. This marks Rohit's second ICC trophy as captain, following India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, where they edged past South Africa in a thrilling final at Barbados.
Reflecting on the team’s journey, Rohit said: “We went undefeated despite losing all five tosses. Yet, we still won the trophy. Winning a tournament without a single defeat is a massive achievement in itself, and it gives me immense satisfaction. Until we lifted the trophy, no one really thought about it. But after the victory, it hit us—we had gone through the entire tournament unbeaten. That realization made it even more special."
Rohit credited the team's unity and clarity of roles for their success. “We have an incredibly solid team, and it's a joy to play alongside such committed individuals. Everyone knows their role and responsibilities—what needs to be done and what must be avoided. Of course, emotions run high on the field. Sometimes, I get a bit carried away, but it's all in the spirit of the game. The main goal is to win, and we are ready to do whatever it takes to achieve that.”
Preparation played a key role in ensuring India could adapt to conditions without Bumrah, he said. “After the Australia tour, we had about 20-25 days before the tournament. We closely monitored the ILT20 matches to study the pitches and playing conditions. We analyzed what kind of bowlers were needed for those surfaces and shaped our squad accordingly.”
Talking about on India's previous failures in ICC tournaments, Rohit pointed to a significant change in mindset that helped them finally cross the knockout hurdle.
“It was always unfortunate that we came so close to winning major tournaments but couldn't get over the line. In the 2015 World Cup semi-final against Australia, we made mistakes we hadn't made in the previous matches. The same thing happened in 2016, 2017, and even the 2023 World Cup final,” he remarked.
The turning point came when the team decided to prioritise collective success over individual milestones. “Before the 2023 World Cup, we had serious discussions about shifting our mindset. The focus was no longer on individual milestones—scoring a hundred or taking five wickets—because, in the end, if the team doesn't win, those achievements don't matter. I learned this the hard way in 2019. I scored five centuries, but what did it mean when we didn't win the trophy?”
Rohit also answered how he wanted other teams to perceive India moving forward. “I don't want to dictate how other teams should see us. The only thing I want is for them never to take us lightly. Even if we are five wickets down, we have the ability to fight back and turn the game around. Until the last ball of the match is bowled, our opponents should always feel the pressure of playing against us,” he stated.
(With IANS inputs)