Captain Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear by beginning India's chase against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final with a six on Sunday. Later the night, having lifted the cup, the 37-year-old also cleared the air about his future. There needs to be no doubt, the "Hitman" is not retiring.
"I am not going to retire from this format. Just to make sure no rumours are spread moving forward. There is no future plan as of now, whatever is going right now, it will continue as it is" Rohit Sharma said.
Since the tour of Australia, speculations were rife about Rohit's future in the team as well as his position as captain. Rohit turns 38 soon but a match-winning 76 in the final showed he can still dominate any bowling lineup with ease. It was his first half-century in an ICC event final. The Indian skipper made 180 runs from five outings in the tournament.
"There is a lot of hunger even in guys who have played a lot of cricket and it rubs down on even the younger players. We have five to six players who are real stalwarts. It makes the job easier for all of us," he said.
Rohit Sharma about his match-winning knock
Across nine ICC events finals, Rohit has scored 322 runs in 11 innings, said NDTV. Rohit said his aggressive approach in the Power Play segment was a decision taken with a specific aim in mind. The nature of the Dubai pitch too played its part in him adopting a quick-fire approach to batting, he said.
"You get a lot of happiness when you win a match and you make a contribution in it, it feels even better. I made a lot of contributions in the 2019 World Cup, but we did not win.
"So, there was no fun in it. Even if you make a sudden run and win the match, you get more satisfaction and happiness. So, I think it was very important for me to do something and contribute and keep the team in a winning position," he noted.
India vs NZ: As it happened in Dubai
India outplayed New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling summit clash in Dubai on Sunday to clinch the Champions Trophy title for the record third time. Rohit, who made 76 off 83 balls, struck seven fours and three sixes, during his stay in the middle as India chased down a modest target of 252 runs with one over remaining.
Shreyas Iyer also shone with the bat hitting 48 runs off 62 balls.
FULL REPORT | India trounce New Zealand by 4 wickets to clinch third Champions Trophy title
The Indian side had some anxious moments when they lost two wickets after being well paced at 183 for three. However, K.L. Rahul (34 not out off 33 balls), showing great composure, slowly brought his team back on track.
Earlier, opting to bat, New Zealand were restricted to 251/7 with the Indian bowlers, especially the spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/45), producing a clinical performance in the title clash.
Mitchell top-scored for New Zealand with 63 from 101 balls, while Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips contributed 53 not out, 37 and 34 respectively.