Head coach Gautam Gambhir concurred with Rohit's sentiments
India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir played down the importance of the Champions Trophy 2025 clash against arch-rivals Pakistan saying it is necessary to beat other teams just like the neighbours.
India are set to face hosts Pakistan in Dubai in their Group A clash on February 23 and will look to get one back at them for the 180-run loss in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.
Despite the hype surrounding the fixture on both sides, Rohit stressed on the importance of winning ICC trophies over one solitary clash.
“I think in the past two or three years, I’ve spoken a lot about that (India vs Pakistan) game. It’s just a game for us. We will try and do what is required for any cricket team to do on that particular day. We just want to show up there and show up well,” Rohit was quoted as saying at the Naman Awards in Mumbai.
Also Read:
Rohit felt that the intensity of the team needs to be at full throttle as ICC tournaments are scheduled for each year. The Mumbaikar led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy in West Indies and expressed his eagerness to win silverware in the 50-over format.
“The ICC Trophy, as we know, comes every year now. So, there’s no time for you to take the foot off the pedal. You always want to be ready for that challenge. We recently finished the T20 World Cup, which was superb for us. Now, we look forward to another one,” Rohit said.
At the annual BCCI awards function, head coach Gautam Gambhir said that all the three group games as well the semifinal and final are important for India, not just the clash against Pakistan.
“Look, we do not go to the Champions Trophy thinking that the 23rd (of February) is the most important game for us. I think five games, all the games are important. The mission to go to Dubai is to win the Champions Trophy, not only win one particular game. But yes, if that is one game in the middle of winning the Champions Trophy, we are going to try and take it as seriously as possible,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
India will face England in three ODIs at home ahead of the Champions Trophy. They are scheduled for February 6,9 and 12 in Nagpur, Cuttack and Ahmedabad respectively.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
