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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that the sense of unfinished business after losing the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia is still playing on Team India skipper Rohit Sharma`s mind. Ponting feels this is the reason that the Indian skipper didn`t retire from the ODIs on a high.
Wearing Team India`s captaincy in 2021, Rohit Sharma claimed two back-to-back ICC titles, T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025.
Now approaching 38, there were talks surrounding Rohit Sharma`s retirement following how he drew curtains on his T20I career after winning the World Cup in the shortest format.
But Rohit Sharma brushed out all the speculations after winning the Champions Trophy 2025 final.
“One more thing, I am not going to retire from this format, just to make sure no more rumours are spread,” Rohit told reporters after a Player-of-the-Match performance, as quoted by ICC.
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Speaking with host Crystal Arnold on The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting stated that Rohit is likely to have had a specific goal in mind when he made the announcement.
“When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone is waiting for you to retire,” Ponting said.
“And I do not know why, when you can still play as well as he has played (in the final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, `no, I am still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.”
“And I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (50-over) World Cup (in 2027),” he concluded.
India hosted the last Men`s Cricket World Cup, and had an exceptional run under Rohit Sharma`s leadership, winning 10 successive games in dominant fashion in their run till the finals. However, the side fell at the final stage, having been dealt a six-wicket defeat at the hands of the Pat Cummins-led Australia in the summit clash.
Ponting believes that a sense of unfinished business may have to do with Rohit`s decision to stay in charge until the 2027 Men`s Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“I think probably the fact that they lost the last one and he was captain, that might be the thing that`s playing on the back of his mind,” Ponting noted.
“Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup.”
“I mean when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you would not say that his time is up just yet,” he concluded.
Speaking after the win, Rohit had also said that with regard to playing the 2027 World Cup, he is keeping all his options open, though he refused to commit to being a part of the squad for the marquee tournament taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“It is very hard to say that right now,” he said on the prospect of taking part in the showcase in two years` time as quoted by ICC.
“But I am keeping all my options open. I want to see how well I am playing. Right now, I am playing really, really well, and I am enjoying everything I am doing with this team, and the team is enjoying my company as well, which is nice.”
“I cannot really say 2027, because it is too far, but I am keeping all my options open,” he concluded his point.
Rohit Sharma concluded the Champions Trophy 2025 with 180 runs in five matches with an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 100.00. His best score in the tournament was 76 runs.
(With ANI Inputs)
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