Haven’t thought about retirement; hopefully India plays in 2025 WTC final, says Rohit Sharma

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New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) India skipper Rohit Sharma said he hasn’t really thought about his retirement from the game, adding that he wishes to have a crack at playing the 2025 World Test Championship final after missing out on a chance to lift the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup title on home soil.

Rohit, 36, was a member of India's 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup victory in South Africa and of 2013 Champions Trophy triumph in England. He and India were on the verge of lifting 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup title at home, but a loss to Australia in the final at Ahmedabad ended those hopes. In the same year, India had to contend with being runners-up of the WTC 2023 final to Australia at The Oval in London.

"I haven't really thought about it (retirement from the game). But, I don't know where life takes you. I am still playing well at this point in time - so I am thinking I am going to continue for a few more years and then, I don't know. I really want to win that World Cup and there is a World Test Championship final happening in Lord’s in 2025, hopefully India makes it," said Rohit in an episode of ‘Breakfast with Champions’, which also had British singer Ed Sheeran.

Talking of 2023 ODI World Cup final heartbreak, where India’s ten-match winning streak came to a rude end, Rohit said, "50-over World Cup for me is the actual World Cup. We've grown up watching that 50-over World Cup. More importantly, it was happening in India in front of our home crowd. We played so well up until that final. When we won the semi-finals, I thought, okay now we're just a step away from it. We're doing all the things right.

"What is the one thing that can make us lose the World Cup? Honestly, not a single thing came to my mind. Because I thought we ticked all the boxes, we were playing good cricket. Confidence was there.

"We were all suppose to have one bad day and that I guess that was our bad day. To be honest, I didn’t think we played bad cricket in that final, certain things didn't go our way. But Australia were slightly better than us on that day."

Before the ongoing IPL 2024, India secured a remarkable 4-1 Test series win over England at home, but Rohit said the matches challenged the hosts’ due to the visitors’ attacking approach with the bat, requiring them to change their mindset.

"You might enter the field with a plan, but when you see things moving differently, you have to change it. When we played recently against England (in the Test series), we came across a different team, they were playing cricket differently. Each batter (of England) came and challenged us. So, we had to change our mindset," he said.

Rohit has been playing IPL since its inception in 2008, and has been with Mumbai Indians since 2011 after being with now-defunct Deccan Chargers. He was left amazed over the growth of IPL, which now uses lots of technology and data.

"IPL has grown so much in the last decade or so and every team is now competitive. I don't think there is any weak team in the IPL. It is something like EPL first division where any team can beat any team."

"But it was not like that when it started off. Now, there is so much technology involved, people are aware what gaps are to be filled, so they get the right players from the auction etc," Rohit concluded.

--IANS

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