ROHIT’S FUTURE? Gill HITS Retirement Rumours for SIX Ahead of Champions Trophy Final!
Dubai, UAE: Is India captain Rohit Sharma hanging up his boots after the Champions Trophy? That’s the million-dollar question buzzing around the cricket world ahead of Sunday’s massive final against New Zealand in Dubai. But hold your horses, fans! Team India’s rising star, Shubman Gill, has stepped up to the crease to smack down those retirement whispers.
Speaking to the press like he was facing a fiery fast bowler, Gill made it crystal clear: there’s been zero chatter about Rohit calling it quits in the dressing room. “No one’s talking about retirement, not even Rohit bhai himself!” Gill declared. He insisted everyone, including the skipper, is laser-focused on one thing and one thing only – bringing home that Champions Trophy trophy.
Gill suggested that maybe, just maybe, Rohit might ponder his future after the dust settles on this epic final. But right now? It’s all about the Black Caps and lifting that silverware. And let’s be honest, with India on the verge of another major ICC title, they need Captain Rohit’s cool head and experience more than ever when they face a tough Kiwi side.
This New Zealand team, led by Mitchell Santner, isn’t messing around. They’ve been impressive with both bat and ball, making this final a true heavyweight clash. Think of it as a rematch of the 2000 Champions Trophy final, which the Kiwis famously won. India’s got some scores to settle, especially after those painful losses to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi and the 2021 World Test Championship final.
India did get one over on the Kiwis earlier in the tournament, winning by 44 runs. But that game was no walk in the park. India posted a decent 249, thanks to a solid knock of 79 from Shreyas Iyer, but New Zealand’s Matt Henry ripped through the Indian batting line-up, grabbing a stunning 5 wickets for just 42 runs! Kane Williamson battled hard for the Kiwis with a brilliant 81, but didn’t get enough support.
In the end, it was India’s spin attack that turned the game, with the spinners bagging nine wickets, including a fantastic 5-wicket haul from the ‘mystery spinner’ Varun Chakaravarthy. But make no mistake, Sunday’s final is going to be a different beast altogether.
So, will Rohit retire? For now, Shubman Gill is saying “Not so fast!” The focus is locked on the Champions Trophy final, and India will be banking on their captain to lead them to victory. Retirement talks can wait – there’s a trophy to win!
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Smith, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy.