Less than 24 hours away to begin the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final, where India and New Zealand will face each other at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. While Indian cricket fans are excited to experience another big final with the hope of India's success, there is speculation of skipper Rohit Sharma's retirement after the tournament Final.

The 37-year-old Indian opening batter Rohit Sharma majorly plays aggressive roles as an opening batter, especially in the white-ball format. After a successful journey in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 last June, where India beat South Africa in the Final to win the title for the second time, captain Rohit Sharma announced his T20I retirement along with Virat Kohli. 

There are some speculations that we can experience a similar story during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final, which means that skipper Rohit Sharma can hang up his ODI jersey after the tournament Final. However, there are no official comments or stories about it.

See Also: Virat Kohli Suffers An Injury Scare Ahead Of Big Final Against New Zealand

Opener Rohit Sharma is struggling to perform with the bat

After the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India will aim to build up a team for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, which South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will host late 2027. It means that Rohit will be more than 40 years old at that time, which sets some uncertainty about Rohit's presence, especially when the tournament is more than two years away. Although captain Rohit is a good fielder, the right-handed batter is struggling to perform regularly with the bat. 

After recording one stormy century along with two single-digit scores against England in the three-match home ODI series early February, opening batter Rohit's scores in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 are 41, 20, 15, and 28. While Rohit is hugely struggling in red ball cricket, it is likely affecting his white-ball game too. So, there is a big speculation of Rohit's retirement from the ODI format after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final.

No discussion in the dressing room: Shubman Gill on Rohit Sharma's retirement speculation

However, the ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill has clarified that there is no discussion in the dressing room on any possible retirement from Rohit Sharma. He also added that he didn't feel the skipper was even thinking anything other than the upcoming Final.   

In the pre-match press conference, Gill stated, "No discussion in the dressing room or with me - even Rohit bhai would be thinking about Champions Trophy final, like all of us. So nothing like that now."

While India and New Zealand both have booked their places for the Semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, their Group A meeting on Sunday (March 2) will mostly be a formality fixture, except for securing their final places in the group stage. Team India is likely to face New Zealand under the new captaincy as Rohit Sharma is likely to take a rest for the game.

While Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India are playing all their matches of the tournament at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates. India won both their first two matches by six wickets against Bangladesh and Pakistan. On the other hand, New Zealand started the tournament with a 60-run win against the hosts and defending champions Pakistan and later beat Bangladesh by five wickets. 

On Sunday, India will face New Zealand in Dubai in the last game of Group A as well as the group stage in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Their result will complete the story of who will face which Group B teams in the Semi-finals of the tournament. 

See Also: Rohit Sharma Is Cautious About His Injury

Rohit Sharma likely to miss against New Zealand; Shubman Gill likely to make ODI captaincy debut

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is likely to take a rest from the last Group A match against New Zealand. So, the vice-captain Shubman Gill, who is in outstanding form with the bat, will take the leadership responsibility of the match. Gill has experienced only five T20I captaincies for the nation during the India tour of Zimbabwe 2024, and India won that series by 4-1.

During India's last game against Pakistan, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had a hamstring injury. While he reportedly hasn't batted in recent net practices, he didn't even participate in the throwdown, and the team management has no plan to take any risk on the skipper before the Semi-final. 

Mohammed Shami likely to take rest

Also, the right-arm fast bowler Mohammed Shami is likely to take a rest against New Zealand. During the match against Pakistan, he seemed uncomfortable in the early overs; however, later he was in better rhythm with the ball in hand. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is likely to replace Shami.

Meanwhile, the wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is likely to replace the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. So, KL Rahul and Pant both can feature against New Zealand, where Pant can keep the wickets. Rahul is likely to open with the stand-in skipper Gill during their last Group A match.

India, the two-time winners of the ICC Champions Trophy, started their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 journey with a comfortable six-wicket win against Bangladesh in the Group A match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday (February 20).

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto chose to bat first after winning the toss. Bangladesh showed incredible fighting spirits by scoring 228 all out from 35/5, but India comfortably chased down the target in 46.3 overs after losing four wickets. While the right-arm fast bowler Mohammed Shami took a fifer, Shubman Gill scored the valuable unbeaten century.

Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali set up a memorable comeback from 35/5

India took two wickets in the first two overs of the match as Shami dismissed Soumya Sarkar (0) in the first over, and Harshit Rana took the wicket of the skipper Shanto (0) in the next over. Shami then dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) in the seventh over as Shubman Gill grabbed a superb catch at the slip. On his first three balls of the match, Axar Patel took back-to-back wickets of opener Tanzid Hasan (25) and Mushfiqur Rahim (0), but the left-arm spinner just missed out on a deserving ODI hat-trick as Rohit Sharma dropped Jake Ali at slip.  

Later, Hardik Pandya also dropped Towhid Hridoy at mid-off, and both Hridoy and Ali set up a great partnership to bring Bangladesh back into the game. From the tough situation, they built up a 154-run partnership for the sixth wicket, which was also Bangladesh's highest ODI partnership for any wicket against India. 

Ultimately, Mohammed Shami broke that partnership by dismissing Ali for 68 runs (114 balls; four fours) in the 43rd over. Rishad Hossain (18 off 12 balls) had a little cameo before Harshit Rana took his wicket. Without any further partners' help, Hridoy desperately fought hard to guide Bangladesh to a challenging first innings total. Even though he was struggling with cramps, he refused to leave the field till the end. He ultimately scored his first ODI century and scored 100 off 118 balls (six fours and two sixes) at his dismissal, as Rana took his wicket to end the innings. Earlier, Shami completed his fifer by taking the wickets of Tanzim Hasan Sakib (0) and Taskin Ahmed (3).

Shami ended with the bowling figures of 10-0-53-5. Also, Harshit Rana (3/31) picked up three wickets and Axar Patel (2/43) got two wickets. 

Indian openers provided a strong start before facing tough questions

Chasing down the target, India had a good start as the openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill maintained their natural tempo. Before the Indian skipper Rohit was dismissed for 41 off 36 balls with seven fours in 9.5 overs, the openers had a 69-run partnership. However, after the first powerplay, the pitch became tougher for the batters, especially against the spinners and slower deliveries. 

After getting a cautious start, Virat Kohli lost his wicket to Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for 22 runs. Shreyas Iyer (15) and Axar Patel (8) fell cheaply, and the chasing status moved to the tense moment. While Gill was batting calmly, the other batters, especially new batters, were struggling to control the innings. KL Rahul also had a slow start, and he got big luck as Jaker Ali dropped him at deep square leg, and Rahul utilised that luck without any further hiccup. 

Shubman Gill and KL Rahul finished the game comfortably

Slowly but steadily, Gill and Rahul guided India to a comfortable win with their solid unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 87 runs. Rahul was not out for 41 off 47 balls with one four and two sixes, and the Player of the Match Gill scored 101 not out off 129 balls with nine fours and two sixes. It was Gill's eighth but one of the memorable ODI centuries. With this century, Gill also recorded four consecutive 50+ scores in ODI and two successive ODI centuries. 

Among the Bangladesh bowlers, Rishad Hossain (2/38) was excellent along with wicketless Mehidy Hasan Miraz (0/37), while Taskin Ahmed (1/36) and Mustafizur Rahman (1/62) bagged one wicket each. They surely missed one more spinner in the squad, which could make the game more interesting. 

Indian ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill took one of the unforgettable catches in the Cuttack ODI to take a crucial wicket of the set batter Harry Brook.

After the English captain Jos Buttler chose to bat first in the Cuttack ODI, openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett provided a strong start with an 81-run partnership for the first wicket. While Salt scored 26 runs, Duckett scored 65 off 56 balls after hitting ten fours. 

Joe Root and Harry Brook handled the post-powerplay situation very well as they had a crucial 66-run partnership off 85 balls for the third wicket. While Root was in full control of time progress, Brook was trying hard to find his form by putting his disappointing performances this tour behind him.

With the help of three fours and one six, Brook scored 31 off 51 balls before he was dismissed. The right-arm fast bowler Harshit Rana just returned to a new spell in his previous over, and the skipper Rohit Sharma’s plan proved successful in Rana’s next over. 

It was an off-cutter from Rana, which he set up for Brook. The English batter fell into that as his mistiming shot created a chance. It was a very tough chance for Shubman Gill as he was running back to grab that. Gill never lost his sight as he always kept his eye on the flying ball from mid-off and successfully grabbed that brilliant catch. 

#HarshitRana dismisses #HarryBrook with a brilliant catch by #ShubmanGill, giving India its 3rd wicket of this match! 👏🏻

📺 Start watching FREE on Disney+ Hotstar ➡https://t.co/1Z9DlYa3MT#INDvENGOnJioStar 2nd ODI 👉 LIVE NOW on Disney+ Hotstar & Sports 18 pic.twitter.com/4fa5IDqI2k

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 9, 2025

Hosts India recorded a comfortable victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against England in Nagpur.

England captain Jos Buttler chose to bat first after winning the toss. Despite a firing start, England were all out for 248 runs in 47.4 overs. In reply, India chased down the target in 38.4 overs after losing six wickets. 

Salt and Duckett set a strong start before the Indian bowlers' dominance

English opener Phil Salt and Ben Duckett put in a 75-run partnership for the first wicket in nine overs before a poor mix-up cost fine-form Salt’s wicket in a run out. Salt was dismissed for 43 off 26 balls (five fours and three sixes), while he hit 26 runs in an over to the ODI debutant Harshit Rana.

In the next over of Salt's run out, which was the last over of the first powerplay in the innings, Rana made a great comeback with two important wickets as Duckett (32 off 29 balls; six fours) and Harry Brook (0) were dismissed after Yashasvi Jaiswal and wicketkeeper KL Rahul took superb catches, respectively. 

Joe Root returned to the format after more than a year, but Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him for 19 runs, as England were struggling at 111/4.

Captain Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell provided some solid knocks, but those didn’t hurt the hosts. Bethell started very slow, while Buttler scored 52 off 67 balls (four fours) before he threw his wicket surprisingly against Axar Patel’s half-tracker, which found his top edge. 

Meanwhile, Bethell scored 51 off 64 balls (three fours and one six), but Jadeja dismissed him before he became dangerous in the slog overs. Jofra Archer (21 not out off 18 balls) added some crucial runs, but those were far from enough. 

Among the Indian bowlers, debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana (3/53) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) bagged three wickets each. Also, Mohammed Shami (1/38), Axar Patel (1/38), and Kuldeep Yadav (1/53) were mostly in control with one wicket each, and the wicketless Hardik Pandya (0/37) also impressed with his strong bowling performance. 

See Also: Ravindra Jadeja: The Only Indian Spinner with 600 Wickets and 6,000 Runs in International Cricket

India were 19/2 by losing both openers early

Indian openers failed in the chase as Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Jofra Archer by 15 runs, and the skipper Rohit Sharma was dismissed by Saqib Mahmood by only two runs. 

Shreyas Iyer set a counter-attack, valuable scores from Shubman Gill and Axar Patel

Struggling at 19/2, Shreyas Iyer produced a counterattack to quickly spoil the English bowlers’ party. Vice-captain Shubman Gill and Iyer produced a solid partnership to put control in the game. 

Iyer completed his half-century in 30 balls and scored 59 off 36 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes before Jacob Bethell dismissed him through an lbw. However, the third-wicket partnership between Gill and Iyer added 94 runs. 

Then, Gill had another strong partnership with Axar Patel for the fourth wicket. Gill scored a 60-ball half-century, while Patel utilised his batting promotion with a 46-ball half-century. 

Patel scored 52 off 47 balls (six fours and one six) before Adil Rashid’s brilliant delivery bowled him. Patel and Gill had a 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Gill missed his century but scored valuable 87 runs off 96 balls with the help of nine fours.

Although there was a little hiccup in the Indian innings lately, where India lost three quick wickets, including Patel, KL Rahul (2), and Gill, the hosts comfortably chased the target. 

Among the English bowlers, Adil Rashid (2/49) and Saqib Mahmood (2/47) bagged two wickets each.

Before the beginning of the home ODI series against England, the Indian ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill spoke about his role as the deputy member of the leader. 

Rohit Sharma-led India are ready to restart their ODI journey. While the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 runners-up played only three ODIs in 2024, they are set for a three-match home ODI series against England, starting on February 6, before the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 19 and March 9. 

See Also: India's Updated Squad for ODI Series Against England: No Jasprit Bumrah

Shubman Gill has an ODI average of 58+

The 25-year-old right-handed top-order batter Shubman Gill has dominated in the ODI format in recent years. In his 47 ODI innings, Gill scored 2328 runs with an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 101.74. He has recorded six centuries and 13 half-centuries, including one double century during the 2023 Hyderabad ODI against New Zealand.

So, there is no doubt that the Indian team management has chosen Gill to shape as the future leader of the team. In the press conference, Gill opened up about his feelings about the vice-captaincy role in the Indian ODI team. 

I take it as a challenge to lead my way: ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill

Gill is ready to take the vice-captaincy role as a new challenge. He is ready to prove himself with his performance along with his role as the deputy of the captain.  

Gill said, “Yes, I have been given an added responsibility and I take it as a challenge to lead my way firstly with my performance and then definitely in the field. If Rohit bhai would want my opinions and or anything, I think it's my duty to let him know what my thoughts are on the game. Just being I think part of the think tank. How GG bhai things, how Rohit bhai things, you know, what are the plans to certain batsmen, certain bowlers, how to take on certain opposition. Just learning that I think is a big curve for me and that's what I will try to do.”

Shubman Gill on learning from Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/dtq1evNSFq

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 4, 2025

Nagpur is ready to host the first game of the three-match ODI series between India and England on February 6. Cuttack and Ahmedabad will host the next two matches of the series on February 9 and 12, respectively.

The last round of the group stage of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 is around the corner. While the final round of the league stage will begin on Thursday (January 30), we have some important reports on the availabilities of the national team players. Here, we are going through these reports. 

Virat Kohli is set for Ranji Trophy return

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is set to serve for Delhi. It will be his first match in the Ranji Trophy in the last 12 years. He last played a Ranji Trophy match in November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh. Kohli is set to train with the Delhi team from Tuesday (January 28).

See Also: Top 5 highest run-scorers in the Ranji Trophy history

KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja are also likely to play

KL Rahul is set to serve for Karnataka, who will face the Elite Group C table-toppers Haryana. He last played a Ranji Trophy match in February 2020. On the other hand, the Hyderabad pacer Mohammed Siraj is set to return to the Ranji Trophy. 

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who just returned to the Ranji Trophy to play against Delhi and won the Player of the Match award after picking up 12 wickets, will continue his service for Saurashtra. 

Rishabh Pant and Mumbai stars are likely to miss

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant, who served for Delhi in their last Ranji Trophy round match against Saurashtra, is unlikely to play the last round.

Indian Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, who just returned to the Ranji Trophy almost a decade later, will miss out on the forthcoming last round of the group stage along with the Mumbai and national teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. 

Centurion Shubman Gill likely to unavailable

Punjab cricketer Shubman Gill, the vice-captain of the Indian ODI team, is also reportedly unavailable for the last round of the group stage in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. The right-handed batter scored a century (102) against Karnataka in the latest Ranji Trophy round, where Punjab suffered an innings defeat despite Gill's heroic century.

The Ranji Trophy has been one of the foundation stones that has helped the Indian Cricket Team produce some impeccable and wholesome talent ever since the National team's inception. In the recent timeline, this domestic tournament has come under the spectator's radar as many prominent and experienced international campaigners are playing this tournament in order to warm up and get back to groom with their basic game through their well-versed Indian conditions.

Teams like England and Australia have current players with innumerable domestic experiences helping in their team successes; several Indian campaigners have started following that path, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja being one of the few. This listicle will look at the top five batters who have scored the most runs across the Ranji Trophy tournament's timeline. 

The 24-year-old Shubman Gill has thrown light on his recent challenges in red-ball cricket following his stellar century against Karnataka which ended in an embarrassing 207-run innings defeat for his side Punjab. Although his gritty 102 offered a spirited resistance in the second innings, Gill does admit that his innings came under high-pressure circumstances. 

See also: Ravichandran Ashwin Selected for Padma Shri in 2025 Padma Awards

Red-ball batting is a concern - Shubman Gill

During his recent conversation after the game, Gill candidly expressed that batting the longest format is quite a challenge. Getting to 25-30 runs seems smooth for the youngster but at that moment, the pressure to score big engulfs him which ultimately leads to his downfall. 

"Red-ball batting is a concern. Sometimes, I think with the red ball, in the matches that I play, I get very good 25-30 runs. I think in those moments, I put too much pressure on myself to score big runs. That’s not the way I have grown up playing my game." 

Overthinking poses another hurdle for the batter 

Gill has confessed that overthinking is another problem that hinders his batting in the longest format. The youngster will needlessly put himself in high-pressure situations due to overthinking which in turn has a negative impact on his composure as a batsman. 

"There is a certain zone that I am in, certain intent that I am in, and sometimes I lose that because I put too much pressure on myself that I have to get a big run now that I am set."

Gill perished early in the first innings off an inside edge but bounced back strong in the second innings on the back of a resilient batting display to keep Punjab in the race. In his marathon 171-ball 102, Gill smashed 14 fours and three towering sixes. His luck ran out when he was trapped leg before wicket by Shreyas Gopal during the 62nd over of the Punjab innings. 

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina recently gave an interview where he shared his thoughts about the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to begin on February 19. This edition of the tournament will be held in a hybrid model, with matches taking place in both Pakistan and Dubai. Raina, who was part of the winning Indian team in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, expressed his hopes for the Indian cricket team’s performance in the tournament.

In the interview, Raina was seen supporting Rohit Sharma, especially after Rohit's recent struggles in Australia and back in India. Despite these challenges, Raina expressed his belief that Rohit will make a strong comeback. He showed his trust in Rohit’s leadership, saying,

"I hope Rohit Sharma wins this trophy once again."

Raina talked about the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, where both he and Rohit Sharma were part of the winning team. He shared that he wants to see Rohit lift the trophy again, just like they did in 2013. Raina believes that Rohit has the ability to do it again in the 2025 edition of the tournament. He expressed confidence in Rohit’s leadership qualities, saying that this time, as captain, it will be even more special. While in 2013, he was a player, now Rohit will lead the team, and Raina is hopeful that his leadership will guide India to another win.

Also Watch: Captain Rohit Sharma assures India's best attempt to win ICC Champions Trophy 2025

In the interview, Raina also talked about the future of the Indian cricket team, especially in terms of leadership. When asked about Shubman Gill and his potential to take on a leadership role, Raina confidently said,

"Absolutely, I think he is the next Virat Kohli for the Indian cricket team."

Raina showed his belief in Shubman’s abilities. As Shubman has been appointed vice-captain for this tournament, Raina believes this is a great opportunity for him to prove himself. He mentioned that Shubman already has the experience to handle responsibilities, highlighting his leadership role with Gujarat Giants in the IPL.

Raina also shared his thoughts on Jasprit Bumrah, whose fitness remains a concern. Even though Bumrah is part of the squad for this tournament, his absence from the England ODI series has raised some questions. Despite this, Raina strongly believes that if Bumrah is fully fit and plays the entire tournament, he will deliver an incredible performance. Bumrah, being a key player for Team India, has Raina’s full trust. Talking about him, Raina said,

"Bumrah will be the man of the tournament if he plays all matches."

Suresh Raina said, 🗣️" Shubman Gill is the Next Replacement Virat kohli of Indian Team & I Hope Rohit Sharma to lift Champions Trophy 2025..!! (Star sports).

- Team india Next Star player For Shubman Gill...!!! 😎

pic.twitter.com/Mj6uLtslJG

— ARPIT• (@ImArpit_18) January 23, 2025

Also Read: "I Might Still Play One Day"—AB de Villiers Hints at a Comeback to Cricket

India Champions Trophy 2025 Squad

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Kuldeep Yadav.