First captain to reach all ICC tournament finals: Rohit could have been greater than Dada & Dhoni!

Dubai: Rohit Sharma shattered a massive record and etched his name in the record books by becoming the first captain in the history of cricket to reach the finals of all ICC tournaments.

India's momentous triumph over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final on Tuesday, made India the first side to reach the fifth Champions Trophy final, no other team has reached more than three.

Since Rohit took over full-time captaincy in February 2022, India has toppled several records. In a span of three years, India has stormed into the finals of every ICC tournament, making him the first skipper to achieve the feat.

While people talk endlessly about the mammoth feats of Dhoni, a captain with almost all the cricketing trophies in his cabinet, including multiple IPL titles, not many ponder the fact that had luck been on his side, Rohit could have easily toppled the likes of Dhoni, Dada, and even the mighty Kapil Dev to become India's most successful captain ever. But 'fate' had a different plan for Rohit as he fights on and off the field, tumbling records and fetching greater glory!

Those well-versed with the IPL might definitely know the fact that the Hitman of Indian cricket is widely regarded as one of the 'GOAT' (Greatest of All Time) captains in the lucrative Indian Premier League! With his immaculate skills, Rohit, in total, since the inception of the tournament in 2008, has secured 6 trophies—one with Deccan Chargers (2009) and five titles with his current team, Mumbai Indians

'A cricketing genius'

An unsung hero who is rarely seen being cherished for the tactics he implements with his rich cricketing brain, Rohit's untouched record has now made him one of the best captains the sport has ever witnessed.

With Rohit at the helm, India marched into the World Test Championship final in 2023 but succumbed to a 209-run defeat. In the same year, India stormed into the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 unbeaten but saw their entire campaign collapse in the final.

Australia staged a heartbreak for the Indian team and its fans by staging a 6-wicket victory in Ahmedabad to lift the ODI World Cup for a record sixth time.

The seasoned opener brushed away the heartbreak and orchestrated a record-shattering T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. He was the mastermind behind India going all the way to Barbados to lift the title for the first time since 2007, that too without savouring defeat once in the tournament.

The Champions Trophy was the only tournament left out of Rohit's grasp, and on Tuesday, he made history in Dubai by leading the Men in Blue to the final of the marquee event.

With a policy of a fearless approach, India savoured the sweet taste of revenge by punching Australia's return ticket home. In pursuit of a modest 265-run target, Virat Kohli's chase masterclass left the Baggy Greens gobsmacked.

Virat choreographed a flawless route to the final with his swashbuckling 84(98), with Shreyas Iyer playing second fiddle with his invaluable 45(62).

By executing a memorable chase, India rewrote the record of completing its most successful run chase against Australia in an ICC event, bettering the previous best chase of 261 in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final. 

We were calm and composed in our chase, says Rohit

Rohit Sharma said that his side was calm and composed in their chase of 265 which they comfortably managed to reach against Australia to advance to the third consecutive final of the Champions Trophy. 

Rohit admitted that the clash was thrilling till the last ball as Australia were also in the game after the dismissal of Kohli but Pandya and Rahul gave the finishing touches to India's innings.

"Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. At the halfway stage, we felt like it's a reasonable score. The nature of the pitch doesn't allow you play your shots. We were clinical with the bat. We were calm and composed in our chase," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

The skipper lauded the efforts of Kohli and especially Pandya's consecutive sixes off Adam Zampa in the crucial juncture of the encounter.

"Credit goes to everyone who were involved in making the team. (Kohli) He's done it for so many years. When we were batting, we were calm. Those shots in the end by Hardik were crucial," he said.

"Looked better (pitch). Slightly played better than the one against NZ. It's about playing good cricket. There are a lot of experienced guys. That's something I wanted to have - six bowling options and at the same get that batting depth as well," Rohit added.

Ahead of the final, Rohit is happy that his players are in good form and is not worried about his opponents in the summit clash.

"When you are in the final, you want all the guys in form. All these guys have made an impact and that gives us a lot of confidence. We'll not think too much about it. Both are good teams, that's why they are in the semis. It's a very high pressure tournament, it's always nice to have some time off and relax and then think about the final," he said.

As he nears the end of an illustrious career, only time can tell what more surprises the passionate Mumbaikar has in store for us! (Agencies)