April 16, 2025: India captain Rohit Sharma opened up about the emotional rollercoaster before India’s Champions Trophy triumph and how his approach to the game has matured over time. Speaking on Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Rohit looked back on the challenges leading up to the win and shared the mindset shift that changed his outlook on cricket.
“Yeah, it was, it was,” Rohit said when asked about the significance of the Champions Trophy victory. “We had to go through so many lows before that tournament began. We didn’t have a great home series against New Zealand and then Australia as well. So we wanted to turn things back.”
The skipper attributed the team’s resurgence to a shared vision and clarity among the players. “Playing with this bunch of guys who are so clear in their mind what they want to do and how they want to achieve it — that’s the difference,” he noted. “It’s one thing to talk about goals, but having clarity on how to reach them is what made this group special.”
Rohit also emphasized consistency in selection. “We tried and kept a pretty similar squad to what we had during the 50-over World Cup because I thought we played really good. Unless there’s an injury, like with Bumrah, there was no reason to make changes.”
He underscored the value of team effort over individual brilliance, saying, “You can’t rely on one or two individuals. Everyone needs to contribute. That has been the consistent talk in our dressing room.”
Speaking about his personal growth, Rohit admitted that early in his career he focused solely on individual performance. “At the start, it’s about scoring runs, proving yourself. But as you play more, you realize it’s about winning tournaments, creating memories.”
A turning point, he says, was the 2019 World Cup. “I got five hundreds in that World Cup, but we lost the semis. On the flight the next day, I realized — all these runs are of no use if you don’t win the tournament.”
That loss shifted his mindset permanently. “From there, it was all about just winning games, winning championships — just that,” Rohit concluded.