A Captain Who Changed the Face of Indian White-Ball Cricket
Rohit Sharma’s tenure as India’s white-ball captain marks one of the most successful chapters in Indian cricket history. Leading India through three major ICC tournaments — the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup, and 2025 Champions Trophy — Rohit brought a new sense of purpose, hunger, and unity to the squad.
Across these three high-stakes tournaments, India lost just one match, a staggering testament to the dominance they showcased under Rohit’s leadership. Despite narrowly missing out on the ODI World Cup crown in 2023, India triumphed in both the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy, breaking the long-standing ICC trophy drought.
Stellar ODI Record and Team Culture Built on Years of Hard Work
As an ODI captain, Rohit Sharma led India to 42 wins in 56 matches, suffering just 12 defeats — boasting an impressive win rate of 75%. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating awards, the 38-year-old reflected on the incredible run, attributing the success to years of groundwork and team bonding.
“Look, I love that team, loved playing with them, and it’s a journey that we were all into for many years,” Rohit said. “It’s not about one or two years of work. It was about getting into work from many years.”
He also opened up about the mental shift the team had to undergo after falling short in past ICC tournaments. The consistent near-misses sparked a collective decision to do things differently, both in strategy and mindset.
“There’s always a thought of doing that and then actually going and doing that. It cannot be done by one or two players. We needed everyone to buy into that thought, which was good from everyone,” he emphasized.
Champions Trophy 2025: A Victory Built on Intent and Focus
India’s Champions Trophy win in 2025 was no fluke — Rohit credited it to the team’s lack of complacency and their consistent drive to win every single match.
“All the guys who took part in that competition got into that thought process of how to win games and how to challenge ourselves… not be complacent, not take anything for granted,” he said.
He further shared how this mindset was carried from the 2023 World Cup into the 2024 T20 World Cup and then onto the Champions Trophy — with support from head coach Rahul Dravid.
“That was really good from the team and that is something that helped me and Rahul bhai when we were planning for the T20 World Cup, and then on to the Champions Trophy. We just carried it well.”
A Legacy Just Behind MS Dhoni, But One for the Ages
While Rohit Sharma’s India missed out on lifting the ODI World Cup in 2023 after a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final, his captaincy legacy remains historic. Only MS Dhoni stands above him in terms of ICC trophies, having led India to victories in the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013).
Still, Rohit’s run will be remembered for the culture he built — one of unity, resilience, and relentless ambition.
“In 2023, although we didn’t cross the line in the finals, we set out to do something as a team and everyone did that,” he concluded.
Rohit Sharma may have passed on the captaincy baton, but his legacy is firmly etched in the golden pages of Indian cricket history — as the leader who redefined success and restored belief in India’s white-ball dominance.
