Indian captain Rohit Sharma silenced critics after winning the Champions Trophy in Dubai by beating New Zealand in the final on Sunday and ended all speculations about his retirement by saying he is not going to quit the 50-over format of the game at present.
India’s next major 50-over event will be the ODI World Cup in 2027.
“I am not going to retire from this format,” Sharma said during a post-match conference.
“Just to make sure no rumours are spread moving forward,” he said.
Rohit Sharma led his side from the front and hammered a quick-fire 76 runs knock to provide India a strong start to the run chase.
It was the first time Sharma, known for his blistering knocks, scored a half century in an ICC event final.
After Indian bowlers restricted New Zealand to 251 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their quota of 50 overs, Sharma and his men chased down the target and reached 254 runs by losing six wickets to lift the ICC trophy for the third time in the history of the game.
India had last won the tournament in 2013 under the leadership of ex-captain MS Dhoni.
India were the co-winners in the rain-hit 2002.
Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India won the T20 World Cup last year.
Immediately after the victory, Rohit announced his retirement from T20.
Apart from Sharma, Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game last year after the win.
They were both part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad.
The Champions Trophy victory assumed significance since India lost their home series against New Zealand and met a similar result in their Australia tour, drawing massive criticisms with a section of critics demanding that Sharma be removed as skipper.
