Rohit Sharma will lead India to Champions Trophy, WTC final wins: BCCI secretary Jay Shah

Under Rohit’s captaincy, India ended their 11-year ICC title drought with a seven-run win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final last week in Barbados. It was also India’s second T20 World Cup title since the inaugural edition in 2007.

The Men in Blue had previously made two finals under Rohit’s captaincy – the ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship final – last year before finishing runners-up behind Australia.

Shah dedicated the T20 World Cup win to outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid and the trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja who have announced their T20I retirements.

“This was our third final within a year. On June 11 last year, we lost the WTC final. On November 19 after winning 10 matches, we won hearts but failed to win the ODI World Cup. But as I had said earlier this year in Rajkot, India proceeded to win hearts and the World Cup under Rohit’s leadership,” Shah added.

Shah also lauded the efforts of Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya for their clinical efforts during the last five overs of the final where India marked a strong comeback.

The Champions Trophy is slated to be held in Pakistan in February-March 2025. While Shah has confirmed India’s participation, it remains to be seen whether Rohit’s side will travel to the neighbouring country.

Meanwhile, India are on course to make the WTC final as they currently atop the points table, with Australia second in the standings. India will feature in three more Test series – against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia – in the league stage of the two-year WTC cycle.