Rohit Sharma might retire if India don't win 2025 Champions Trophy final: Reports
India captain Rohit Sharma might retire if the team fail to win the 2025 Champions Trophy final, as per a report in Dainik Jagran (via NDTV Sports). India and New Zealand will play the final on Sunday, March 9, in Dubai.
Rohit Sharma's future has been a topic of intense discussion ever since the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) debacle. India will next play a Test series in England in June and with the next ODI World Cup in 2027, there is hardly any time left if the Men in Blue are to find a new captain.
The report quoted a BCCI source as saying that Rohit might retire if India do not win the final of this Champions Trophy. However, it also added that if India win the final, there is no clarity on what Rohit would do. In both these cases, it will be entirely up to the 37-year-old and he might continue only as a player in ODIs if India win the Champions Trophy.
The report added that either Shubman Gill, who is currently the vice-captain, or Hardik Pandya will be handed over the captaincy, with Rohit Sharma continuing as a player if selected.
Can Rohit Sharma play a big innings in the Champions Trophy 2025 final?
Rohit Sharma has led the team incredibly well in the Champions Trophy so far, as India are unbeaten heading into the final. However, he has yet to play a big knock with the bat in this tournament.
While Rohit has changed his approach of trying to maximize the powerplay overs and give the team quick starts, he has been dismissed early on in the innings. The right-hander has scored only 104 runs from four games at an average of 26.00 and a strike-rate of 107.21.
His highest score in the tournament is just 41, which came against Bangladesh in India's opening match. Come the final, Rohit will be expected to play a key role upfront with the bat. The skipper will be under some pressure to deliver and play a big knock in the all-important clash.