'Arre mujhse pucho kitna WOH lagta hai': Rohit Sharma says Champions Trophy no World Cup but winning it is 'no less'

Since losing the 2023 World Cup final, Rohit Sharma has won the T20 World Cup and, just yesterday, the ICC Champions Trophy. Still, for the Indian captain, winning the 50-overs World Cup has always been the ultimate dream. The ODI World Cup is the only major white-ball ICC tournament Rohit has yet to win, and after announcing that he's 'not going to retire', his well-wishers, along with a million Indian cricket fans, would be hoping he can play the 2027 World Cup in South Africa and fulfil his incomplete dream. Rohit Sharma kisses the Champions Trophy, his second ICC title as India captain(Getty)

Rohit famously said two years ago before the World Cup in India that for him, the 50-overs World Cup would always be the pinnacle, but pointed out that winning the Champions Trophy is equally sweet. Rohit remained steadfast in his admiration for the 50-overs World Cup, asserting that nothing could rival its prestige. Yet, he conceded that hoisting the Champions Trophy – often dubbed the mini-World Cup – filled him with an exhilaration akin to standing atop the world.

"Whatever ICC tournament comes in front of you, you obviously want to win them all. One-day World Cup is One-Day World Cup. Because that's the only World Cup we've grown up watching. We didn't have the World Test Championships or many Champions Trophy. That's why I said what I did earlier. But this [holding the Champions Trophy] is no less. Arre aap mujhese puucho kitna 'WOH' lagta hai jeetne ke liye. (Ask me how much of an effort it takes to win this)," said Rohit during the post-match press conference.

"A trophy is a trophy. Winning any final gives us a lot of pride. And today it's not just me, but the entire nation is feeling immense happiness. Winning the final of any event is huge. That's all I have to say."

Oh captain, my captain

With the win, Rohit has joined MS Dhoni as the only two captains to win more than one ICC title for India. Dhoni created history back during his time as captain, leading India to a T20 World Cup win in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy two years later in 2013. Rohit won two out of the three in a span of nine months and had India not endured a rough day on November 19, Rohit could have won all three in three years.

That India won the trophy without pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah and some of its players battling form ahead of the tournament and coming into the Champions Trophy on the back of a woeful Test season speaks volumes to the tremendous depth Indian cricket enjoys.

"It shows a lot of quality in the team, a lot of depth, a lot of understanding within the group, a lot of enjoyment, a lot of excitement. That is how we want to play our cricket. There is too much pressure from the outside...there is so much speculation that happens," added Rohit.

"The boys in the team have managed to put that aside and just focus on how to win games and how to enjoy the game. I’m really, really proud being the captain of this team...to play the finals of all four trophies was really good and shows how consistent we are as a team."

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