Rohit Sharma reflects on World Cup 2019 lessons that shaped approach for future ICC tournaments

Rohit Sharma scripted history on March 9, 2025 after winning the recently-concluded Champions Trophy in Dubai. The undefeated group-stage run was followed up by hard-fought wins against Australia and New Zealand in the semi-final and the final, respectively. This was the second white-ball trophy India won under Rohit's leadership after the T20 World Cup in 2024.

Post the iconic four-wicket triumph against the Kiwis, Rohit reflected on the takeaways gained from the past ICC events, and in particular, what the defeats taught him about having a team-centric approach.   

"We have discussed this extensively in the dressing room over the years. It was always unfortunate that we came so close to winning major tournaments but couldn’t cross the final hurdle. Looking back at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia, we made mistakes in that game - mistakes we hadn’t made in any of the previous matches. That cost us the final spot. The same happened in subsequent ICC tournaments - whether in 2016 or 2017. Sometimes, luck just wasn’t on our side. Even in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, we played brilliantly in the first nine matches, but in the final, we fell short. Before the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, we had serious discussions about shifting our mindset," shared Rohit during a conversation with JioHotstar.

"The focus was no longer on individual milestones - whether it was scoring a hundred or taking five wickets - because, in the end, if the team doesn’t win, those achievements don’t matter. I learned this the hard way in 2019. I scored five centuries in that World Cup, but what did it mean when we didn’t win the trophy? Those five hundreds are displayed in my home, but there’s no ICC World Cup trophy alongside them," he added.

Over the last few years, we have consciously changed our approach: Rohit

Commenting on the same topic, the 37-year-old underscored the importance of the entire team being in sync with the aforementioned approach. He also lauded the members of his side for implementing the plans to perfection.   

"Cricket is a team sport. The real satisfaction comes from winning championships, not just individual records. So, over the last few years, we have consciously changed our approach. We kept reinforcing this message within the team. Just like teaching a child at home - you have to keep repeating the lesson until they fully understand it. To succeed, everyone in the squad had to buy into this mindset. It wasn’t just about what I or someone else believed; the entire team needed to align with this philosophy. The credit goes to the players for embracing this new approach and making it a reality," concluded Rohit.

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Rohit became the first Indian captain to win two ICC white-ball trophies by going undefeated throughout the two tournaments. India did not lose a single game at the T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025.