Dubai: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah is confident skipper Rohit Sharma will lead Team India to title victories in the upcoming third ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and 2025 Champions Trophy.
“After this win [T20 World Cup], our next target is the WTC final and Champions Trophy. I am confident that under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, we will win the WTC Final and the Champions Trophy,” said Shah in a video shared by the BCCI.
Team India won their first ICC title in 11 years after emerging triumphant in the ICC T20 World Cup in Barbados under Rohit’s captaincy. This was India’s second T20 World Cup title after having won the inaugural edition in 2007.
“This was our third final within a year. On June 11 last year, we lost the WTC final. On November 19 after winning 10 matches, we won hearts but failed to win the ODI World Cup.
“I said in Rajkot that in 2024 we will win hearts, and trophies and hoist the Indian flag in Barbados and our captain did it,” Shah added.
Top of table
The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan in February-March next year, but it’s yet to be seen if India will travel to the neighbouring country. In the WTC, India is currently on the top of the points table on course to make it to their third final. Australia are second in the standings. India have three more Test series against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia before the WTC final.
Historic victory
Shah in his video also dedicated the historic victory in Barbadas to India coach Rahul Dravid, Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit who turns 38 next year along with Kohli and Jadeja announced their retirements from T20I cricket just after the victory over South Africa in the final, while Dravid had earlier made it clear that this would be his last assignment as India coach.
“I congratulate Team India for this historic T20 World Cup win. I want to dedicate this victory to coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Last year in June 2023, we lost in the WTC final. In November 2023 after 10 wins we won hearts but couldn’t win the cup,” Shah said.
The BCCI secretary also hailed Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya for their crucial performance in the last five overs of the T20 World Cup final match against South Africa.
