India captain Rohit Sharma credited former head coach Rahul Dravid’s long-term vision and leadership philosophies for the team’s success in the 2025 Champions Trophy, calling it the culmination of a process that began years earlier.
Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards on Tuesday, Rohit said India’s triumph earlier this year in Dubai was built on the foundation laid during Dravid’s tenure as coach, and the collective commitment of the players to follow a unified approach.
“Look, I love that team. Loved playing with them. It’s a journey we were all a part of for many years. It’s not about one or two years of work — it was years in the making,” Rohit said while reflecting on India’s recent success.
India had suffered a heartbreaking loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at home, but responded by winning the next two ICC events under Rohit’s captaincy: the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“We’d come close to winning a trophy many times, but just couldn’t get over the line. That’s when we realised we had to try something different,” he said. “There are always two sides to it — the thought of doing something, and then actually doing it. It can’t be done by one or two players. Everyone had to buy into that vision, and the fact that they did was crucial.”
Interestingly, the Champions Trophy was head coach Gautam Gambhir’s first ICC title with the Indian team. The trophy came as a big relief for Indian cricket after they were hammered by New Zealand and Australia in back to back Test series.
Everyone Stuck to Dravid’s Plan: Rohit
Rohit, who received a memento for India’s Champions Trophy victory at the event, outlined the mindset that shaped India’s back-to-back ICC titles. He explained how the team focused on consistency, discipline, and staying grounded through every phase of a tournament.
“All the players who were part of the Champions Trophy got into that mindset — how to win games, how to challenge ourselves, how not to take anything for granted. We focused on bringing those qualities into every game,” Rohit said.
He added that the team approached each match with the same intensity, avoiding complacency regardless of results. “Once we won the first game, we put that behind us immediately and began preparing for the next one. That helped us a lot, especially when we moved on to the T20 World Cup planning.”
Rohit also highlighted the importance of continuity between tournaments, explaining that the same values carried over from one ICC campaign to the next.
“That consistency in thought and execution helped both me and Rahul bhai during the 2024 T20 World Cup and again during the Champions Trophy. Although we didn’t cross the line in the 2023 final, the team had already committed to a new way of working. Everyone stuck to that,” he said.
While Dravid stepped down after the T20 World Cup in 2024, and Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach ahead of the Champions Trophy, Rohit acknowledged that the core framework had already been built under Dravid’s leadership.
