Indian cricket’s future is in safe hands with emerging talent: Rohit

After leading his team to an unbeaten run in the ICC Champions Trophy, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed confidence that the future of Indian cricket is bright, with an abundance of young talent eager to make their mark on the international stage.

India’s dominant Champions Trophy campaign saw both experienced players and emerging stars step up. Shubman Gill contributed 188 runs in five matches, including a century, while Shreyas Iyer accumulated 243 runs, with two fifties. Axar Patel played an all-round role, contributing 109 runs and taking five wickets, and Hardik Pandya added 99 runs and four wickets in four matches. KL Rahul, with 140 runs at an average of 140.00, also played a crucial part, along with Varun Chakravarthy, who claimed nine wickets.

Sharma praised the team’s undefeated run in the 2025 Champions Trophy, calling it a testament to their passion and commitment, which bodes well for the future of Indian cricket. When asked about the possibility of India dominating world cricket over the next decade, he emphasized the importance of nurturing young talent to build a strong bench.

“That’s the whole point,” Sharma said in an interview with ICC. “You want to build your bench strength while still competing at the highest level. Over the last four or five years, whenever the opportunity arose, we’ve tried to give these young players a chance, and they’ve grabbed it with both hands.”

He also highlighted the growing debates around team selection, underscoring the depth of talent in the squad. “When you’re discussing who to pick, who to drop, and who’s going to miss out, it shows how much depth we have in this team,” he added.

Looking ahead, India’s focus is now on winning the upcoming global events—the 2026 T20 World Cup on home soil (co-hosted by Sri Lanka) and the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

“I can confidently say that the future of Indian cricket is in very safe hands,” said Rohit Sharma, who was named the Man of the Match in the final against New Zealand for his 76. “The passion, the hunger, the talent—it’s all there. Now, it’s about going out there and doing it.”

Pandya joins Mumbai Indians squad: India all-rounder and Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya on Tuesday joined the franchise squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.

Pandya was part of India’s title-winning campaign in the Champions Trophy in Dubai. Mumbai Indians shared a picture of their captain on X and captioned the post, “The GUN has arrived”.

Pandya played a crucial role in India’s journey in the tournament with his all-round skills. The 31-year-old proved to be a pivotal asset in India’s strategy of going with four spinners while he also produced some match-winning knocks with his bat while coming at No.7.

The IPL 2024 season was his first as Mumbai Indians captain but it didn’t pan out well for him as the franchise finished at the bottom of the standings with four wins in 14 matches. The all-rounder will hope for a better result in the upcoming season.

However, Pandya is set to miss MI’s opening match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 due to his one-match suspension at the fag end of the last edition. The penalty followed three over-rate violations during IPL 2024. According to IPL rules, a captain faces a one-match suspension after a team commits three such infractions in a season.

On Monday, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene and the coaching staff of Paras Mhambrey and Lasith Malinga (bowling coaches), J. Arun Kumar (assistant batting coach), and Carl Hopkinson (fielding coach) took to the field, setting up an intensive training session for the boys who have started their camp.

Agencies