Australia Tour & ODI Comeback of Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, making his first public appearance after losing the ODI captaincy, credited Rahul Dravid for India’s Champions Trophy triumph, notably leaving out Gautam Gambhir.
Indian batting star Rohit Sharma, in his first public appearance since losing the ODI captaincy, avoided mentioning head coach Gautam Gambhir while talking about India’s Champions Trophy win earlier this year. Instead, he credited the victory to the system built under Rahul Dravid’s guidance and praised the players for following the vision set by the former captain-coach duo.
Career Reflections & Champions Trophy Insights
Under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s leadership, India bounced back strongly from the painful 2023 ODI World Cup final loss in Ahmedabad, going on to win two consecutive ICC titles — the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“I’ve always loved that team and enjoyed playing with them. Our journey wasn’t built in just one or two years - it took years of hard work and commitment,” said Rohit.
“We had come close to winning that trophy several times but couldn’t quite cross the finish line. That’s when everyone agreed it was time to try something different, and there were two ways to look at it,” Rohit said.
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“There’s a big difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it. It wasn’t possible for just one or two players — we needed everyone to believe in that idea, and thankfully, the whole team did,” Rohit said.
The 38-year-old, who received a special memento for leading India to the Champions Trophy title at the 27th CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday, also shared insights into the team’s philosophy during the two ICC tournaments.
“All the players who took part in the Champions Trophy shared the same mindset — to find ways to win, push our limits, stay focused, and never take anything for granted,” he said.
“Those were the qualities we aimed to instill, and we believed the best way was to practice them consistently. Everyone enjoyed the process. After winning our first game, we didn’t dwell on it — we immediately focused on the next challenge,” Rohit said.
“That was a great effort from the team, and it really helped Rahul bhai and me while planning for the 2024 T20 World Cup and later the Champions Trophy. We carried that approach forward,” Rohit said.
“In 2023, even though we fell short in the finals, we aimed to achieve something as a team — and everyone delivered on that,” he added.
Dravid’s tenure ended after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory, and Gambhir took over as head coach in July last year. As a result, Gambhir was leading the team during India’s Champions Trophy win in Dubai earlier this year.
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“I enjoy playing against Australia and touring there. It’s a challenging place to play cricket, and the people really love the game,” he said.
“Australia always presents a unique challenge whenever we play them. Having toured there several times, I now know what to expect. Hopefully, we can go there and perform as the Indian team should, and get the results in our favour,” he said.