Rohit Sharma Credits Team’s Mindset: Former India ODI tutorage Rohit Sharma, in his first public statement on Tuesday, discussed the team's journey since losing the 2023 ODI World Cup final. He spoke well-nigh how India made its mark by winning two subsequent ICC titles—the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, Rohit credited former throne mentor Rahul Dravid and the team's joint weighing for the turnaround.
Rohit said, "I love that team very much, loved playing with them, and it was a long journey that we engaged in for many years. It was not just a one- or two-year job. We came very tropical to winning many times but could not win in the final. Then everyone decided that we had to do something different."
The root rationalization of India's success
Rohit said that the root rationalization of India's success was in the transpiration of mindset brought in by the team, which he and Dravid established together. He said, "This is not only the job of some players. Everyone had to prefer this thinking, and it was positive for the whole team."
Accepting the Memorial of the Champions Trophy victory, Rohit laid special accent on the team's process. He said, "Everyone in the team came into the game with the mindset of how to win matches and rencontre themselves. Nothing was taken for granted. That's the quality we tried to instill in the team and unceasingly implemented."
India's biggest strengths
Rohit described the team's cohesiveness and consistency as India's biggest strengths. "Everyone enjoyed the process. When we won the first match, we left it overdue and focused on the next match. It was very good for the team, and this proved helpful for Dravid bhai and me in planning for the T20 World Cup and then the Champions Trophy.”
Although Gautam Gambhir took over as mentor from Dravid's place without the Champions Trophy, Rohit said the foundation of India's success remained the same. “In 2023, plane if we didn't make it to the final, we set a goal to do something as a team, and everyone workaday that.”
Rohit, who has now handed over the ODI and Test captaincy of India to Shubman Gill, will remain part of the Indian team and will travel with Virat Kohli for the three-match ODI series in Australia starting on October 19.
