NEW DELHI: In his first public remarks since being replaced as India’s ODI captain, Rohit Sharma on Tuesday reflected on the journey that took India from heartbreak in the 2023 ODI World Cup final to. back-to-back ICC titles — the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating awards in Mumbai, the veteran opener credited former head coach Rahul Dravid and the players’ collective belief for the team’s transformation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Look, I love that team, loved playing with them and it’s a journey that we were all into for many years,” Rohit said. “It’s not about one year or two years of work. It was about getting into work from many years. We’d come so close to winning that trophy many times but we couldn’t just get over the line. That is where everyone decided that we need to do something different.”The 38-year-old skipper emphasized how India’s success stemmed from a mindset shift that Dravid and he had instilled during their partnership. “There’s always a thought of doing that and then actually going and doing that. It cannot be done by one or two players. We needed everyone to buy into that thought, which was good from everyone,” Rohit. explained.
While accepting a memento for India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year, Rohit spoke passionately about the process that defined their recent ICC dominance. “All the guys who took part in that competition got into that thought process of how to win games and how to challenge ourselves and not be complacent or take anything for granted. Those were the qualities we tried to bring in, and we thought it was a good method of just going and doing that repeatedly,” he said.The veteran batsman said the consistency and unity within the side became India’s biggest strength. “Everyone enjoyed that process. Once we got over the line when we won the first game, we completely put that game aside and then started focusing on the next one. That was really good from the team and that is something that helped me and Rahul bhai when we were planning for the T20 World Cup, and then on to the Champions Trophy. We just carried it well,” Rohit added.
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Even as Gautam Gambhir took over the coaching reins from Dravid before the Champions Trophy, Rohit noted that the foundation of India’s success remained the same. “In 2023, although we didn’t cross the line in the finals, we set out to do something as a team and everyone did that,” he said.Rohit, who has now handed over India’s ODI and Test captaincy to Shubman Gillremains part of the Indian setup and will travel with Virat Kohli for the three-match ODI series in Australia starting October 19.
