ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma’s ‘last ICC tournament as captain’ announced

India captain Rohit Sharma is at the end stages of his cricket career. Rohit will be leading India in the upcoming Champions Trophy and the former India cricketer Suresh Raina feels that it could be his last ICC trophy as a captain.

Rohit is likely to open the batting in the Champions Trophy along with the team's vice-captain Shubman Gill. The 37-year-old has been in poor form in Tests recently but has always excelled in the 50-over format.

Rohit has already won three ICC trophies so far in his career with the recent one being the T20 World Cup 2024. He played a key role in India winning the title as he provided them with fiery starts at the top.

Also read: Shubman Gill mentions Jasprit Bumrah’s last BGT Test injury to destroy Team India critics

"This could be Rohit Sharma's last ICC trophy as captain" - Suresh Raina

While speaking at the Star Sports show Game Plan, Suresh Raina predicted the Champions Trophy 2025 to be his last as a captain. Raina believes that Rohit won't be leading India in the next ICC event scheduled in 2027.

"This could be his last ICC trophy as captain, and if he wins, he (Rohit Sharma) will become the first Indian player to win four ICC trophies. He has already won the T20 World Cup, and securing the Champions Trophy would be a remarkable achievement. He will be motivated to make it happen, but scoring runs will be crucial for him," Raina noted.

Raina also hailed Rohit's captaincy by calling him an attacking captain. He spoke about his clever strategies to use different bowlers at different stages of the game and feels that he is a better captain when he is scoring runs.

“Rohit Sharma is an attacking captain. The way he utilizes his bowlers is commendable—bringing in Mohammad Shami at crucial moments and relying on spinners strategically. When Rohit scores runs, it also reflects in his captaincy.”

Suresh Raina on Rohit Sharma's batting approach

Further speaking on Rohit Sharma's batting approach, Suresh Raina feels that the Indian captain should keep playing an aggressive brand of cricket. He cited the example of Rohit's performance in the ODI World Cup 2023 and called for a similar approach here.

“I think Rohit should play aggressively. You saw how he batted in the ODI World Cup—he was attacking even in the final. So, I believe his approach will remain the same. The key question is who will open alongside him—will it be Shubman? I remember, whenever they play together, they maintain an aggressive intent,” Raina added.

Rohit Sharma was in outstanding form in the ODI World Cup 2023 as he scored 597 runs in 11 matches at an average of 54.27 and an exceptional strike rate of 125.94. He finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer just behind Virat Kohli.

Key player for India

Rohit will be under pressure going into the Champions Trophy 2025. The veteran has endured a rough patch recently with some poor outings in the Test format. He will be looking to keep that aside and produce a memorable performance here.

The 37-year-old has an excellent ODI record and has become a more aggressive batter over the last few years. He is likely to continue that template and will be key to India's chances. India will begin their campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.