'We will try to bring Champions Trophy back to Wankhede': Rohit Sharma

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma has set his sights on leading the Men in Blue to victory at the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.

Speaking at a celebratory event marking 50 years of Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, Rohit also reflected on the memorable moments and personal milestones he has experienced at the historic venue.

Discussing the ICC Champions Trophy, Rohit stated, "We will try our best (to win the title). It is always a dream to represent the Indian team in any ICC trophy. We will embark on another dream. I am sure that when we will reach Dubai, 140 crore people will be behind us. We will try to do everything we can to bring the trophy back again at Wankhede."

The Wankhede Stadium has been home to many significant achievements in Indian cricket history, including the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup victory, Virat Kohli's 50th ODI century during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinals, and other landmark events like the 1996 day-night World Cup match and Mumbai's 2007 Ranji Trophy title.

Rohit fondly reminisced about his early days watching Ranji Trophy matches at Wankhede and highlighted the unique energy the venue brings. "The crowd does not disappoint here, no matter which team you play, India, Mumbai, or Mumbai Indians (MI). When we won the 2007 T20 World Cup and celebrated it here, that day I dreamt of bringing the World Cup trophy to Wankhede. Luckily, we celebrated the 2024 T20 WC victory in Mumbai and Wankhede. The atmosphere here is different. Even the players who are not from Mumbai really love coming here and playing," he said.

Reflecting on the grand celebration of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win at Wankhede, Rohit shared how special it was to celebrate with fans. "When we were in Barbados, we could not go out due to a hurricane. We could celebrate as a team, but celebrating the win with your people is special. There were so many people watching us, celebrating with us," he added.

The ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place from February 19 to March 9, will be co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE under a hybrid model, with India's matches scheduled in Dubai.

The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches, with India’s campaign starting against Bangladesh on February 20. The much-anticipated clash with Pakistan will take place on February 23, also in Dubai. India’s final group-stage match will be against New Zealand on March 2.

India is placed in Group A alongside defending champions Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. Group B features 2023 Cricket World Cup winners Australia, Afghanistan, England, and South Africa.

Team India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja.

India’s Group Stage Fixtures:

February 20: India vs Bangladesh, Dubai
February 23: India vs Pakistan, Dubai
March 2: India vs New Zealand, Dubai