On Sunday, January 19, Mumbai’s famous Wankhede Stadium had a lavish celebration to mark its 50th anniversary. Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, and Sachin Tendulkar were among the Mumbai greats who attended to commemorate the achievement. Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian ODI and Test teams, too left his mark.
Rohit took front stage and talked about his goals of winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. The Indian captain stated that, similar to their 2024 T20 World Cup victory, the team will bring the trophy for a fan parade at Wankhede Stadium after winning the competition.
“We’ll do everything in our power to win the Champions Trophy.” When we get in Dubai for the Champions Trophy, I have no doubt that the aspirations of 140 crore Indians will be fulfilled. After we win, we’ll aim to perform well and bring the Champions Trophy 2025 to Wankhede Stadium,” Rohit stated.
India’s Champions Trophy voyage
The Men in Blue, captained by Sourav Ganguly, shared the Champions Trophy in 2002, which was then known as the ICC KnockOuts, when an abandoned match finished in a draw. Eleven years later, though, the trophy was theirs alone, with MS Dhoni leading the way in 2013, when the standout performers were Shikhar Dhawan (Golden Bat winner) and Ravindra Jadeja (Golden Ball winner).
Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India returned to the tournament in 2017 to defend their title. To win the most recent edition, however, the opposition Pakistan defeated India for the first time at an ICC event, overcoming the threat.
India’s 2025 campaign will begin on February 20 against Bangladesh, followed by a crucial match against Pakistan and a final league stage match against New Zealand. It should be mentioned that, should they qualify, India will play in the semi-final and final of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) in Dubai.