Follow UsFormer Australia captain Ricky Ponting said Rohit Sharma wants another crack at the ODI World Cup, which is why he didn’t retire from the format after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
India lost the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup against Australia. Since then, the Men in Blue have won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy without losing a single game.
Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the T20Is after the T20 World Cup, but they didn’t do the same after winning the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
In fact, Rohit even said that he has no plans of retiring from the 50-over format. The opener will be close to 40 by the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
"I think probably the fact that they lost the last one (ODI World Cup) and he was the captain, that might be the thing that's playing on the back of his mind," Ponting said on The ICC Review.
"Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the ODI World Cup. I mean when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you wouldn't say that his time is up just yet."
Both Rohit and Kohli are averaging more than 50 in ODIs since 2023, while Jadeja has been one of the most economical bowlers in this period. Kohli was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the Champions Trophy, while Rohit slammed a match-winning 76 in the final against New Zealand.
"When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone's waiting for you to retire. And I don't know why, when you can still play as well as he's played (in the final),” said Ponting.
“I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, 'no, I'm still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.'
"And I think, the fact that he said that, to me it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (ODI) World Cup."
