The Champions Trophy is around the corner, and India captain Rohit Sharma focuses firmly on bringing the trophy home. India reached the final of the 2017 edition, but the side faced defeat against Pakistan in the summit clash at the Oval, London. However, Rohit Sharma believes his team will leave no stone unturned in bringing the eight-team tournament home.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 in Karachi with a match between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand. India will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium.
The marquee contest between India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. Rohit Sharma is not sweating over the upcoming contest between the arch-rivals, saying it is just another game and his side will prepare for it just like they do for every other game.
“Look, I think in the past two or three years, I’ve spoken a lot about that game. It’s just a game for us. We will try and do what is required for any cricket team to do on that particular day,” Rohit told Star Sports during the BCCI’s annual Naman Awards.
“No special mentioning about, from our side at least, about that particular game. We just want to show up there and show up well,” he added.
India and Pakistan last played in the 2024 T20 World Cup group stage where the former registered a thrilling victory.
‘No time to take the pedal off the gas’
Rohit Sharma, who led India to their second T20 World Cup title in 2024, said there is no time for his side to take the pedal off the gas. With the T20 World Cup win, India ended their 11-year-long ICC title drought.
Now, it needs to be seen whether India are able to win the Champions Trophy, which is set to be played in Pakistan and the UAE.
“There’s no time for you to take the pedal off the gas. You always want to be there and, you know, be ready for that challenge. We recently finished the T20 World Cup, which was superb for us. Now we look forward to another one, which is in a few weeks’ time,” said Rohit Sharma.
“Look, everyone’s, you know, being, getting prepared in their own fashion. A lot of the guys are playing domestic cricket, and a lot of the guys are playing international cricket as well. When the time comes,, it’s all about just getting your mind right and focusing on what lies ahead,” he added.
Recently, the BCCI issued a diktat for every centrally contracted player, making it mandatory to play domestic cricket. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant have all at least played one Ranji Trophy match within the last 10 days.
Rohit Sharma has been struggling for form off late and even “stood down” from the Sydney Test against Australia.
