BCCI confirms Rohit Sharma to captain India in 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and WTC final

Jay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced on Sunday that Rohit Sharma will remain the captain for India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship (WTC) final, both slated for 2025.

This decision follows Rohit Sharma's leadership in steering India to a historic victory in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados.

Reflecting on Rohit's captaincy, Shah expressed satisfaction with backing Rohit after India's loss in the ODI World Cup final last November, anticipating a turnaround that culminated in the T20 World Cup win. Shah is confident that under Rohit's leadership, India will achieve further success in the upcoming ICC events.

"After winning hearts on November 23 with 10 consecutive victories, we set our eyes on winning the Cup. In Rajkot, I predicted that on June 29, we would not only win hearts but also lift the flag in Barbados, and our captain did just that," Shah remarked.

Shah also suggested a strategy of split captaincy for India, with Rohit Sharma leading the Test and ODI sides, and Hardik Pandya likely to assume the T20I captaincy following Rohit's retirement from the format last year.

The ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan next year, marks the return of the tournament after an eight-year hiatus. The draft schedule includes a potential India-Pakistan match in Karachi, pending final approval from the BCCI, which might push for a hybrid model similar to the one used during the Asia Cup.

Shah dedicated India's recent T20 World Cup victory to outgoing coach Rahul Dravid and the three players—Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja—who announced their retirement from the format post-tournament. These players are expected to return for India's upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka in August, followed by three matches at home against England in early February, leading up to the Champions Trophy.

The BCCI is optimistic about the upcoming events, aiming to build on recent successes under Rohit Sharma's leadership across formats.

Also read: Egyptian footballer Ahmed Refaat dies at 31 following heart attack