How the 2025 Champions Trophy final will define Rohit Sharma's legacy as a captain
Team India have lived up to their favorites tag in style, reaching the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy unscathed. However, as Rohit Sharma and his men look to conquer their knockout demons in ODIs with a win over New Zealand in the summit clash tomorrow (March 9), much is on the line for the skipper.
While the overall captaincy numbers and win-loss records in bilateral series are nothing to be shortchanged, narratives around captains and their legacies are built around performances in ICC events. For context, former South African captain Graeme Smith boasts a better winning percentage as skipper compared to his Indian counterpart, MS Dhoni.
Yet, not a soul in the cricketing universe will place Smith above Dhoni in the pantheon of legendary captains because of the difference in success in ICC tournaments. As unfair as placing so much on a match can sound, it is the nature of the beast, and Rohit Sharma's captaincy legacy could alter one way or the other based on the 2025 Champions Trophy outcome.
How Rohit Sharma's captaincy resume will look with 2025 Champions Trophy triumph
Rohit Sharma has already established himself as one of the greatest captains in the minds of most Indian fans. No ordinary captain leads his IPL franchise to five titles in eight years - a feat Rohit accomplished between 2013 and 2020.
The 37-year-old also led India to an unbeaten run in the 2023 ODI World Cup until the hiccup in the final against Australia. Rohit then won his first ICC trophy as captain when the Men in Blue went unblemished in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
A win tomorrow will make Rohit only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC trophies. Rohit already became the first-ever captain to lead his side to the final of all four ICC events - ODI and T20 World Cups, Champions Trophy, and World Test Championship (WTC).
He would also become the first Indian captain to win back-to-back ICC titles and join Dhoni and Pat Cummins as the only captains to win an ICC title in multiple formats.
ICC titles aside, Rohit's overall numbers as captain are off the charts across formats. The Indian skipper boasts an outstanding winning percentage of 72.24 after 141 matches. - best of all-time among captains with at least 100 games leading the side.
For context, Ricky Ponting, while leading arguably the greatest side ever - Australia of the 2000s- has an overall winning percentage of 67.90.
With all of these added up, one could start making the case for Rohit Sharma as arguably the greatest captain of all time in international cricket.
A loss flips Rohit's script to a series of South Africa-esque claims
The cruelest aspect of sports, particularly cricket, is how one match can flip the narrative about a player or a team. A prime example of this statement would be the South African Cricket Team.
Despite being arguably the most consistent side across formats over the past three decades, the 'Chokers' tag hangs by their neck and is often the first thing that comes to mind in any discussion. Yet, imagine a scenario in which they ran down the run-a-ball 30 in the 2024 T20 World Cup final and won their first World Cup title and second ICC tournament.
Suddenly, two ICC trophies - one in each white-ball format, combined with their excellent overall numbers as a team and narratives around South Africa being the team of the last 30 years wouldn't have been laughable as it is currently.
Similarly with Rohit, all the numbers and achievements mentioned in the previous section will be overlooked should India not win the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Instead, statements like 'A second consecutive ICC ODI final loss under Rohit', 'ICC ODI title drought since 2013', and 'Rohit's inability to finish the job for a third time in four tries in the knockouts of an ICC event' will be doing the rounds. The incredible overall numbers as captain could be used against Rohit, similar to what the Proteas experienced - 'Dominant side on paper that crumbles in the biggest moments.
Rohit Sharma's Legacy: Enhances or Tarnishes more by 2025 Champions Trophy 2025 outcome?
For those who agree with the earlier sections, it is clear that Rohit Sharma's legacy is going to change one way or the other after tomorrow's 2025 Champions Trophy final.
An Indian win and debates about Rohit as India's and even the overall greatest-ever captain become a reality. Yet, another defeat on the final stage, and Rohit's legacy as captain could be severely tarnished in comparison to all-time greats.
But the bigger question is the 'extent' in both cases. Will a win enhance Rohit's reputation as captain more than a loss denting it? This is where the IPL titles with Mumbai Indians (MI) and the T20 World Cup triumph last year will have their say.
Having already proven his ability to lead India to an ICC title and win multiple IPL trophies as captain, a loss tomorrow could only tarnish Rohit's legacy so much. However, a win and a plethora of plaudits with a significant rise to the upper echelon of captains await.
Hence, it is safe to say that Rohit Sharma's legacy as a captain will certainly alter after the 2025 Champions Trophy final. Yet, the pros outweigh the cons, thanks to his proof of concept with Team India and MI in the past.
The next 40 hours could witness social media buzzing with 'Rohit Sharma the GOAT Captain' or have them slamming the Indian skipper in derogatory terms. Only time will tell.