Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 19 (ANI): Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed that the Men in Blue will try its best to win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and also opened up on the special experience of playing and celebrating various accomplishments of his storied career at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The Indian skipper was speaking at an event celebrating the 50 years of Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium, which has witnessed several important moments of Indian cricket over the years, such as the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup win, Virat Kohli’s landmark 50th ODI century against New Zealand in 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinals, first-ever day-night match in 1996 Cricket World Cup, Mumbai’s 2007 Ranji Trophy title win among others.
Speaking at the event, Rohit said about the ICC Champions Trophy, “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.”
Speaking about fond memories of playing at Wankhede, Rohit said that when he was 14, he used to watch the Mumbai team play Ranji Trophy matches at the venue. He also said that the crowd and atmosphere at Wankhede is extremely special, even for the players who are not from Mumbai.
“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. The stands were full when we celebrated (the T20 WC win in 2024) and they are full even now. This is the speciality of Wankhede,” said Rohit.
Further speaking on the grand T20 WC celebration parade and function at the venue, Rohit said that when he woke up a day after the event, he felt the team had done something special.
“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 freshest challenge awaiting India is the ICC Champions Trophy, starting from February 19 till March 9. It will be hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing its matches in UAE under a hybrid model.
The eight-team tournament will feature 15 50-over matches and will be played across Pakistan and in Dubai. The biggest match of the tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India’s last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
Group A of the tournament features current Champions Trophy holders and hosts Pakistan, along with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh, while Group B features Cricket World Cup 2023 champions Australia, alongside Afghanistan, England and South Africa.
The India Squad:
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, 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. (ANI)
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