The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is going through a lean phase as far his form is concerned and he got slammed a lot after India performed badly in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
While many are demanding him to be dropped from the team, the former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has expressed confidence in Rohit Sharma’s ability to shine in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Sourav Ganguly has gone to the extent of saying that fans can expect resurgence in his performance, especially in white-ball cricket. Reflecting on Rohit’s struggles in Test cricket and his mixed performances over the last year, Ganguly shared his thoughts during a felicitation ceremony for Bengal’s U-15 women cricketers, organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal.
Rohit Sharma, who led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup, had a challenging year individually. He struggled for consistency in the IPL, managed just one half-century in the Test series against New Zealand, and faced significant difficulties against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, scoring only 31 runs across five innings. Despite these setbacks, Ganguly emphasised that Rohit remains a dominant force in limited-overs cricket and will likely showcase his best form in the Champions Trophy.
With an impressive track record in the Champions Trophy, Rohit has accumulated 481 runs at an average of 53.44 and a strike rate of 82.50 between 2013 and 2017. His highest score in the tournament stands at an unbeaten 123. Ganguly pointed out that Rohit’s recent struggles in Australia were largely due to challenges with the seaming red ball, a hurdle that may not be as significant in the Champions Trophy, where conditions typically favor batting with the white ball on flatter pitches.
Sourav Ganguly also shared his perspective on India’s prospects in the Champions Trophy, labeling them as strong contenders for the title following their recent successes in limited-overs formats. However, he highlighted the need for improvement in Test cricket, particularly when playing overseas. Ganguly stressed the importance of building substantial first-innings totals in challenging conditions, noting that scoring 350-400 runs can put the team in a winning position, whereas falling short of 200 leaves them constantly on the back foot.
India’s Champions Trophy campaign will begin on February 20 against Bangladesh. Before that, they will host England for a three-match ODI series, providing an opportunity for the team to fine-tune their preparations for the prestigious tournament.
