Rohit dismisses retirement rumours after Dubai’s Champions Trophy showdown

Amid all rumours that did rounds on social media surrounding Rohit’s potential all-format retirement, the Indian captain has squashed all such talks, claiming he is not retiring from ODI cricket following leading India to the Champions Trophy title in Dubai. India beat New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai to lift their third CT title and become the most successful team in this competition’s history.

“I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread going forward,” Rohit said at the post-game presser in Dubai.

Under Rohit’s leadership, India won two back-to-back titles across formats. Having won the T20 World Cup in the Americas last year, Rohit’s ODI outfit won the 50-over competition this time. The veteran batter said he has no future plan regarding retirement and that ‘what is happening will keep happening’.

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Meanwhile, the captain acknowledged KL Rahul’s inning during the chase, which helped India cross the winning line with four wickets remaining. Rahul scored an unbeaten 34 off 33 balls on a dicey Dubai pitch, with his leader appreciating him for not getting too affected by criticism and outside noise.  Although Rahul began slowly in the chase, alongside Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya, he upped his batting tempo and won the match for his team.

“Again, a very solid mind,” Rohit said of Rahul. 

“He never gets overawed by pressure around him. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to have him in the middle phase, to try and finish off games for us. With his experience and class, there’s a bit of calmness when he bats.

“He picks the right shots to play under pressure situations, which obviously allows the other guys batting around him to come and play freely. For example, Hardik came out and played some really good shots in both games that gave us some freedom. Overall, the batsmanship shown by all our batters throughout the tournament was superb,” Rohit continued.

Rohit, Kohli impressed with squad depth

Like how his batting partner Virat Kohli praised India’s squad depth following the CT title win, saying that with this squad, India will conquer world cricket for the next eight years, Rohit spoke on the same line but around India’s batting order and how it helped them win twin trophies in two straight years. 

“It makes it a lot easier; it gives you freedom as well,” Rohit said of India’s batting depth giving him the freedom to attack at the start. 

“Which is why I said earlier as well that we wanted to have batting depth as deep as possible. Jadeja coming at No. 8 gives you the confidence to go slightly hard up front with the new ball. If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn’t, then so be it. As long as I’m clear in my mind, it’s the most important thing,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)