New Delhi: India’s senior duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shut down retirement speculations after India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 9.
Ahead of the crucial match, there were reports claiming that both Virat and Rohit might retire from ODI cricket if India won the 2025 Champions Trophy, but both cricketers have no plans to retire. Rohit played a crucial knock in the final and delivered a Player of the Match performance, scoring a match-winning 76 runs off 83 balls. Virat also amassed 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50, including one century against Pakistan.
Chasing a target of 252 runs, Rohit Sharma scored his first half-century of the tournament in 41 balls. He stitched a 105-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the opening wicket. After the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s departure on 76 helped New Zealand make a comeback in the match before important partnerships from Shreyas Iyer-Axar Patel and KL Rahul-Hardik Pandya put India back in the front seat. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs on the final ball of the 49th over against and helped India to clinch their third Champions Trophy title in Dubai.
‘I’m not going to retire from this format’: Rohit Sharma
Rohit became only the second Indian skipper after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC trophies. The Indian captain was asked about his future plans in the post-match press conference, and Rohit laughed off the question at first and said, “Koi future plan ni hai. Jo chal ra hai wo chalega (There’s no future plan, things will keep on going as they are). I’m not going to retire from this format. Just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward”.
‘When you leave, you want to leave the team in a better place’ : Virat Kohli
After the final, the star batter Virat Kohli said that his job is not just to win ICC trophies but also ensure that Indian cricket is at a better place when he retires. “When you leave, you want to leave the team in a better place, I feel we’ve a squad that’s ready to take on the world for the next eight years,” Kohli said after the end of the final.
Kohli further told official broadcaster JioStar that it has been amazing and the team wanted to bounce back after a tough Australia tour and win a big tournament. He also said that there’s so much talent in the dressing room, and they’re trying to take their game further, and seniors are just happy to help them by sharing their experience, and that’s what makes this Indian team so strong.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have broken the silence on their ODI retirement rumours after India defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets and clinched the third Champions Trophy title. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
