Indian captain Rohit Sharma has vowed to regain the Champions Trophy after a gap of 12 years. The eight-team event is set to take place from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and the UAE. Interestingly, the 2013 Champions Trophy was the last 50-over tournament, which saw India clinching a title victory. The Men in Blue emerged as the runner-up in the 2017 edition of the marquee event, as Pakistan secured a dominating victory by 180 runs.
The future of senior Indian players hinges on the performance of the side in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Namely, Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from the T20Is last year, aren’t confirmed to stay until the 2027 World Cup. In particular, Rohit and Virat have suffered horrendous form of late in the Test format. A lot will depend upon how they fare in the Champions Trophy, with a new leadership contender emerging in vice-captain Shubman Gill.
After disastrous Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia, Gambhir is also under pressure to deliver results. According to reports, his and his support staff’s contracts might be cut short if the results don’t come in their favor.
Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) organized a gala celebration of Wankhede Stadium’s golden jubilee on January 19. Several current Mumbai cricketers, including Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal attended the event. Moreover, former players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Diana Edulji also graced the evening.
The Champions Trophy Tour is currently being held in India, and the silverware was brought to the center stage in the celebration. Gavaskar, Shastri, Tendulkar, Rohit, Rahane, Vengsarkar and Edulji posed with the Champions Trophy.
During the interaction, Rohit Sharma expressed the wish to bring the Trophy back at Wankhede Stadium after winning the tournament. He said:
“We will try our best. It is always a dream to represent the Indian team in any ICC trophy. We will embark on another dream. I am sure that when we will reach Dubai, 140 crore people will be behind us. We will try to do everything we can to bring the trophy back again at Wankhede.”
Rohit Sharma to play Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai
Rohit Sharma is all set to take part in Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy game against Jammu & Kashmir, scheduled to take place from January 23-26 in the Bandra Kurla Complex. ‘Hitman’ joined the team a while back and trained with them in order to prepare for the game.
Rohit’s last appearance in the Ranji Trophy came against Uttar Pradesh in November 2015. He slammed 113 off 140 as the game ended in a draw. It will be a crucial game for Mumbai, as they are positioned third in the points table with three wins in five appearances. The victories in the remaining two games will keep the side in good stead to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Rohit Sharma’s decision to play in the Ranji Trophy comes after the BCCI mandated all the players to participate in domestic cricket when they aren’t playing international cricket. He will next be seen representing India in the three-match ODI series against England ahead of the Champions Trophy.
