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Rohit Sharma has refused to ‘draw the line’ on whether he’ll play in the 2027 ODI World Cup or not.
Rohit Sharma poses with the winners trophy after defeating New Zealand in the final cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy (Picture credit: AP)
Rohit Sharma ‘doesn’t want to draw any lines’ and think about whether he will or won’t play the 2027 ODI World Cup, despite declaring that he will not retire after winning the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Rohit led India to their third Champions Trophy title with a big, four-wicket win over New Zealand on Sunday. There was speculation about his future before the tournament because only a few months ago, he had retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup and at 37 years of age, some considered the 2027 World Cup too far for him. But he put that to rest by saying that he ‘wasn’t going anywhere’ from the ODI format.
“Right now, I am taking things as they come. It wouldn’t be fair for me to think too far ahead. At this moment, my focus is on playing well and maintaining the right mindset,” Rohit said in an interview with JioHotstar after the team sealed the win. “I don’t want to draw any lines and say whether I will or won’t play in the 2027 World Cup. There’s no point in making such statements right now.”
Rohit also won the Player of the Match in the final for his 76 (83), which included seven fours and three sixes. He not only laid the foundation for India’s 252-run chase but also answered the pundits who were asking for him to change his approach and tone down the aggression.
Rohit explained how before the 2023 World Cup, the team changed its mindset away from ‘individual milestones’.
“Before the 2023 World Cup, we had serious discussions about shifting our mindset. The focus was no longer on individual milestones—scoring a hundred or taking five wickets—because, in the end, if the team doesn’t win, those achievements don’t matter. I learned this the hard way in 2019. I scored five centuries, but what did it mean when we didn’t win the trophy?” he said.
Rohit further talked about how he wants his team to be perceived: “I don’t want to dictate how other teams should see us. The only thing I want is for them never to take us lightly. Even if we are five wickets down, we have the ability to fight back and turn the game around. Until the last ball of the match is bowled, our opponents should always feel the pressure of playing against us,” he stated.