As long as I'm clear in my mind, that's the most important thing – Rohit Sharma

India stormed through the gates of history as they blew New Zealand apart in a fine show of dominion in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.

Rohit Sharma spearheaded the batting charge with an incredible 76, allowing India to set the platform straight for the upcoming overs. Despite a stutter that saw the Men in Blue losing three quick wickets, they held on and crossed the line with an over to spare.

Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant performance in the final and opened up on the overall game and the situations that dictated the proceedings. He also shed light on how he wanted to proceed against the Kiwis with a dicey total on the board.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Rohit said, “It is very nice. We played some really good cricket through the whole tournament, to come out here and having the result our way is a great feeling, very very happy with how we played this game. It (attacking game) is not natural to me but it is something I really wanted to do, when you are trying to do something different you need the backing of the team, you need the backing of the management and they were right through with me.”

He revealed how he had always been backed by the Indian coaches which has always been a massive blessing in him carving such fine knocks. Rohit added, “In the ODI World Cup as well with Rahul bhai, this is what I spoke to him and he was very much okay with it, and now Gauti bhai as well. It's all about getting the backing of the team and the management as well. It's something I really wanted to do. I have played all these years in a different style, but I wanted to try and do something different, try and see if we can play differently and get the results that we were looking for.”

Decoding his knock, Rohit stated, “Having played here on few occasions, you understand the nature of the pitch, what it does initially upfront with the new-ball, using my feet is something I have been doing for a long time now and it is about being clear in my mind, I was very clear how I wanted to execute that first 5-6 overs, I have gotten out doing that as well but I never wanted to look away from that, the results is not going to be consistent in what I'm trying to achieve, but as long as it serves the purpose of the team, if it serves the purpose of what we are trying to do, I am happy with that.”

He concluded with a word about the team composition, saying, “It makes it a lot easier and gives you that freedom as well, which is why I wanted to have batting depth as long as possible, as deep as possible. Playing 8 batsmen, Jadeja coming at 8 gives you that confidence to go slightly hard upfront with the new-ball, if it comes off it comes off, if it doesn't then so be it. As long as I'm clear in my mind, that's the most important thing.”