Not seriously considering retiring; Rohit Sharma wants to participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup

After the trophy eluded him in the 2023 mega-event due to “one bad day,” India skipper Rohit Sharma says he intends to “continue for a few more years” because he “really” wants to win the 2027 ODI World Cup.

 

While Rohit, 36, was a member of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup winning team, he regards the 50-over exhibition match as the genuine deal. When that chance was lost after the team’s final defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad last year, he was devastated.

“I haven’t given retiring any consideration. I’m not sure where life will lead you, however. I’m playing well right now, and I want to keep playing for a few more years. In an appearance on the YouTube talk program “Breakfast With Champions,” which British pop star Ed Sheeran also attended, he said, “I really want to win that World Cup.”

The real World Cup is the 50-over competition. We have watched the 50-over World Cup since we were little. In 2025, Lord’s will host the World Test Championship final. With any luck, we’ll make it there,” said Rohit, who will captain the team in June in the T20 World Cup.

Even though India lost the ODI World Cup final after being undefeated throughout the competition, it has taken Rohit six months to come to terms with it.

It was taking place in India. We had a good game up until that point. I believed that after winning the semifinal, we were just one win away from triumph. I honestly couldn’t think of anything that might cause us to lose that championship game,” he said.

One poor day on the field provided the Mumbaikar with a straightforward solution and the closure he finally sought.

“I assume that was our terrible day; I mean, we were all supposed to experience one awful day. We were playing excellent cricket, we had checked all the boxes, and we exuded confidence. However, the Australians had a fantastic day and it was just one awful day. In that final, I don’t believe we played poor cricket,” he said.

Nonetheless, Rohit took some comfort from India’s recent 4-1 Test series victory over England at home. The captain of India said that the series was not as easy as the final score indicated.

“Even if you have a strategy before you reach the field, you must adjust it if you see that things are going differently.

“We encountered a new squad and their style of cricket play when we just played England. Every batter came up to take a swing at us. So, we have to shift our perspective,” he said.

Additionally, Rohit denied any notion that a win at home—even against a superior team—is inferior than a win away from home.

“Winning away from home is tough. They complicate things while you’re not around. The situation is the same for other nations as well, since visiting India is not simple. “You want to capitalize on those conditions at home,” he said.

When the conversation turned to his favorite Test cricket experience, the dapper right-hander named his first hundred as his most treasured memory.

In the last series of Sachin Tendulkar’s career, Rohit scored a century on 301 balls in Kolkata against the West Indies while batting at No. 6.

“Getting that hundred and seeing the audience go wild is all that matters in India. I scored my maiden hundred in a Kolkata Test match. Since it was Sachin Tendulkar’s 199th Test match, there were around 70,000 spectators in the stadium. “It was probably the best moment,” he continued.

“IPL has expanded greatly.”

Since the Indian Premier League’s founding in 2008, Rohit has not missed a season. This is a significant change from the league’s early years. Rohit noted there is now no poor club in the league.

“The IPL has expanded significantly over the last ten years, and all of the teams are now competitive. There aren’t any weak teams in the IPL, in my opinion. Any club may defeat any other team in what is akin to the Premier League’s first division.

However, it was not how things first began. Nowadays, with the amount of technology available, people are aware of the holes that need to be filled and choose the appropriate players at auction, among other things “offered him.

In addition, Rohit recalled his time spent in the IPL with the late, great Shane Warne.

“When Shane was leading the Rajasthan Royals, I used to play against him and I was with the (now-defunct) Deccan Chargers.” He has exceptional cricketing intelligence and approaches the game from a unique perspective.

“Adam Gilchrist, who played for the Chargers, was his teammate back home in Australia. He used to brag about his skill to us.” Warne used to make predictions about what would happen in the following two or three balls even while he was doing commentary.”