India’s Rohit Sharma performs a shot throughout ICC Males’s Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Bangladesh at Dubai Worldwide Stadium on February 20, 2025. — Reuters
DUBAI: Speculations surrounding Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s retirement from ODI cricket have reached a peak because the Champions Trophy remaining looms nearer.
The excitement intensified on the Dubai Cricket Stadium, the place Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill was pressured to deal with the matter twice — first throughout the pre-final press convention and later in an surprising reappearance to make clear his earlier statements.
Gill requested the media to not misquote him relating to the captain’s plans.
Throughout the press briefing, Indian vice-captain Gill was requested about Sharma’s potential choice to step away from 50-over cricket.
In response, he hinted at the potential of an announcement after the ultimate however emphasised that no dialogue had taken place within the dressing room.
“Right now, all the focus in the dressing room is on winning the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma has not spoken to me or the team about any such decision,” Gill clarified.
The hypothesis comes after Sharma introduced his retirement from T20 internationals following India’s victory within the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Whether or not the ODI format is subsequent stays to be seen, with followers eagerly awaiting an official phrase from the Indian skipper after the ultimate.
After main the victory on the 2024 Males’s T20 World Cup, the skipper introduced his retirement from T20Is.
India will play New Zealand within the Champions Trophy remaining in Dubai on Sunday in what might be a final hurrah for veteran stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The 36-year-old Kohli and skipper Rohit, 37, got here into the 50-over event with hypothesis swirling over when they may retire following lean patches in Check cricket.
Mainstays of a formidable India facet for greater than 15 years, the duo retired from T20 internationals after profitable the World Cup final yr.
This weekend might be the tip for them in ODIs, with the following 50-over World Cup not till 2027.
India go into the ultimate at Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium as favourites and with their confidence sky-high.
They’ve received all 4 of their matches on the eight-nation event, together with beating New Zealand by 44 runs within the group section, though each groups had already reached the semi-finals by then.
Rohit’s facet have performed all their video games in Dubai after refusing to go to Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan due to political tensions.
India, who want to win the Champions Trophy for a file third time, additionally boast a world-class spin assault.
They unleashed 4 spinners in beating New Zealand with Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 5-42 to assist bowl out the Black Caps for 205 of their chase of 250.
