India’s seniors have lifted two World Cups in four months and Rohit Sharma does not want the winning habit to fade. On 8 March in Ahmedabad, the men’s side claimed a third T20 crown – and a second on the bounce – while last November the women celebrated their first ever 50-over title in Navi Mumbai. Speaking in Mumbai on Saturday, the men’s captain set the tone.
“There’s no secret to success, it’s all about hard work,” Rohit said, giving equal credit to players and the back-room staff. “I feel very, very happy and proud to see what we’ve been seeing for the last couple of years now to come out with flying colours and achieve what we have achieved, not just men’s team but also women’s team to win that World Cup in Mumbai was fantastic to watch. And recently now what the men’s team did to win the T20 World Cup, what they did was phenomenal. And I hope this is just the start, there’s no looking back from here because once you get the momentum – and we often talk about momentum in cricket – both men’s and women’s teams have, all I hope is that we carry this momentum.”
Rohit knows about starting runs of silverware. He led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan last March, giving the country four ICC titles in under two years. The production line has been busy too: the men’s and women’s Under-19 teams both captured their most recent World Cups, with Ayush Mhatre’s side winning in Zimbabwe last month and Niki Prasad’s young women doing the job in Malaysia in 2025.
Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed 61 in the latest final, expects more of the same. “We’ve won it twice in a row, why not make it three times,” he said with a grin, already eyeing the 2028 edition. His confidence sums up a change in mindset that the senior group believes is rubbing off on every age bracket.
The next major assignment belongs to Harmanpreet Kaur’s squad. The women’s T20 World Cup begins on 12 June in England, where India share Group 1 with Pakistan, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, South Africa and defending champions Australia. Conditions in early summer can be two-paced – helpful for spinners one day, friendly for seamers the next – so the support staff have scheduled a short county tour to get players used to the Dukes ball and chillier evenings.
Rohit will be watching from home, satisfied but not yet sated. “All I hope is that we carry this momentum,” he repeated before heading back to a pre-season fitness session. Small steps, he says, can still lead to very large trophies.
