RO AND BEHOLD!

As the Champions Trophy win showed, the Rohit Sharma-led veteran brigade might not be over the hill. However, they will have to be on their toes as age and younger talent catch up

- AYAZ MEMON

Rohit Sharma's blistering 76 set the tone for India's exciting run chase in the Champions Trophy final, but perhaps more crucial was his captaincy, particularly the manner in which he marshalled his spinners.

Match situations in sport are continually evolving. The best captains implement their tactics dynamically, improvising as the need arises. This necessitates an acute understanding of such situations, the strengths and weaknesses of opponents, and how these can be mitigated or exploited by his team.

In the end, India won a hard-fought match and lifted the Champions Trophy for the third time. In a way, this was redemption for India, and Rohit, after the shocking 0-3 whitewash in a home Test series against New Zealand, which in turn had a grim impact on the team's performance in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.

With Rohit at the helm, India have won two ICC tournaments in a space of nine months. In fact, in three successive ICC white-ball tournaments, India have won 23 of 24 matches, losing only the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023. This is extraordinary consistency in limited-over formats, where topsy-turvy results are not uncommon.

While comparisons between teams and players of different eras are always debatable, that the current team is India's best-ever in white-ball cricket is now being said without much demur. Under M.S. Ohoni, India won the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013), but several experts and aficionados argue that the current team is more talented and the bionic approach it has shown has redefined global white-ball cricket.

Rohit's own role in winning two ICC tournaments and raising India's stock has been enormous. As a batter, he is considered a giant for the pace at which he scores, and the big scores he has accumulated in ODIs. This includes three double centuries.

His Test record