India's captain Rohit Sharma poses with the winners trophy after defeating New Zealand in the final cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)
On Sunday, after winning the Champions Trophy, India captain Rohit Sharma cleared the air on his rumoured retirement plans by telling journalists at the post-match press conference that he has no plans to retire. In a recent interaction with JioHotstar, the Indian captain delved deeper on what lies ahead for him in the near future.
“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. There’s no point in making such statements right now. Realistically, I have always taken my career one step at a time,” Rohit said.
“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.
Chasing a tricky 252-run target after being forced to field first by Mitchell Santner on Sunday, India got off to a flying start on the back of captain Rohit Sharma’s turbo-charged half-century. The skipper smashed his fifty of the tournament in 41 balls, waltzing his way to the mark with three sixes and a string of fours after India got to their fastest team fifty of the tournament in only 7.1 overs.
After the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s departure on 76 helped New Zealand claw back into the game before crucial stands from Shreyas Iyer-Axar Patel and KL Rahul-Hardik Pandya put India back ahead.
India eventually sealed the nervy chase with Ravindra Jadeja hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over off pacer Will O’Rourke.
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