Rohit Sharma Attributes India’s ICC Triumphs to Team Unity and Winning Mindset

Rohit Sharma Credits Team’s Mindset: Former India ODI captain Rohit Sharma, in his first public statement on Tuesday, discussed the team's journey since losing the 2023 ODI World Cup final.  He spoke about how India made its mark by winning two consecutive ICC titles—the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, Rohit credited former head coach Rahul Dravid and the team's collective belief for the turnaround.

Rohit said, "I love that team very much, loved playing with them, and it was a long journey that we engaged in for many years. It was not just a one- or two-year job. We came very close to winning many times but could not win in the final. Then everyone decided that we had to do something different."

The root cause of India's success

Rohit said that the root cause of India's success was in the change of mindset brought in by the team, which he and Dravid established together. He said, "This is not only the job of some players. Everyone had to adopt this thinking, and it was positive for the whole team."

Accepting the Memorial of the Champions Trophy victory, Rohit laid special emphasis on the team's process. He said, "Everyone in the team came into the game with the mindset of how to win matches and challenge themselves. Nothing was taken for granted. That's the quality we tried to instill in the team and consistently implemented."

India's biggest strengths

Rohit described the team's cohesiveness and consistency as India's biggest strengths. "Everyone enjoyed the process. When we won the first match, we left it behind and focused on the next match. It was very good for the team, and this proved helpful for Dravid bhai and me in planning for the T20 World Cup and then the Champions Trophy.”

Although Gautam Gambhir took over as coach from Dravid's place after the Champions Trophy, Rohit said the foundation of India's success remained the same. “In 2023, even if we didn't make it to the final, we set a goal to do something as a team, and everyone accomplished that.”

Rohit, who has now handed over the ODI and Test captaincy of India to Shubman Gill, will remain part of the Indian team and will travel with Virat Kohli for the three-match ODI series in Australia starting on October 19.