Hyderabad: India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday paid a special tribute to the "three pillars" who he credited as the reason behind Men in Blue's success in winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in June. He also gave an indirect warning to other cricketing nations, expressing his hunger and determination to emerge triumphant in the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy and World Test Championship final.
Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team scripted history becoming the only third team to clinch the two T20 World Cup titles following their successive campaign at the T20 World Cup. With this incredible title triumph, Rohit became the first Indian captain to lift the ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy after MS Dhoni, ending the trophy drought of 11 years. This victory marked India's first T20 World Cup win in 17 years.
During the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, where he was named the men’s international cricketer of the year, the 37-year-old credited former head coach Rahul Dravid, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, and Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah for India's magnificent comeback from the heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final held on the home soil to securing the T20 World Cup.
"It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about the stats, the results, to make sure that we create that environment where people can go out there and play freely without thinking too much,” Rohit, who hails from Mumbai, added.
"That is what was required. I got a lot of help from my three pillars, who are actually Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid (and the) chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. That was very critical for me to do what I did and obviously not to forget the players, who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we achieved," he quipped.
There is a reason I won five IPL trophies
India has shifted its focus to ODI cricket for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year and a third-straight WTC final, both scheduled to take place in 2025. The Indian captain acknowledged his insatiable hunger to add more trophies to his cabinet.
"There is a reason I won five IPL trophies. I'm not going to stop, because once you get the taste of winning games, winning Cups, you don't want to stop and we'll keep pushing as a team. We'll keep striving for better things in the future," he said.
