There is a reason I won five IPL trophies: Rohit Sharma eager to keep 'winning' post T20 WC success

At the CEAT Awards, held in Mumbai on Wednesday (Aug 21), India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma won theMen's International Cricketer of the Year award. Post his win, Rohit lauded the 'three pillars', ex-head coach Rahul Dravid, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Secretary Jay Shah, for their constant support and labelled them as the reason behind India's historic 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, in June.

Post India's win in the T20 WC, held in West Indies and the USA, Rohit issued a warning to world cricket saying that he remains desperate to win more titles for India.

In the mega event, Rohit said, "It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about the stats, the results, to make sure that we create that environment where people can go out there and play freely without thinking too much. That is what was required. I got a lot of help from my three pillars, who are actually Mr Jay Shah, Mr Rahul Dravid (and the) chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. That was very critical for me to do what I did and obviously not to forget the players, who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we achieved."

Rohit further mentioned that he has won five IPL titles, as Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper, due to his hunger to keep winning. Hence, he warned world cricket that India will continue to improve and aim to win more ICC events. Hitman added, "There is a reason I won five IPL trophies. I'm not going to stop, because once you get the taste of winning games, winning Cups, you don't want to stop and we'll keep pushing as a team. We'll keep striving for better things in the future."

Under Rohit and Dravid, India won the 2024 T20 WC in Barbados on June 29, beating South Africa in a thrilling final. Post that, the Dravid-led coaching staff stepped aside as Gautam Gambhir took over as India's coach, until the 2027 ODI WC.

Talking about the next ICC event, India are now focused on the 2025 Champions Trophy, to be held in Pakistan early next year. Moreover, the Asian giants have a solid chance to once again enter the WTC final of the ongoing 2023-25 cycle. The finale will be held in June 2025.