Ponting feels 2023 WC final loss still playing on Rohit’s mind following CT 2025 win

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that a sense of unfinished business after losing the 50-over World Cup final to Australia in 2023 is playing on Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s mind after the Champions Trophy win, due to which he has not retired from the format on a high.Having been appointed India’s captain back in 2021 at the age of 34, Rohit Sharma on Sunday clinched his second ICC title – following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup win last year – as India closed an invincible Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai.Now approaching 38, there were talks around the Indian skipper’s retirement from the ODI format, an act not without precedence, given how Rohit had retired from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup.But Rohit quashed them in the press conference following the final win against New Zealand.“One more thing, I am not going to retire from this format, just to make sure no more rumours are spread,” Rohit told reporters after a Player-of-the-Match performance, as quoted by ICC.Speaking with host Crystal Arnold on The ICC Review, Ponting stated that Rohit is likely to have had a specific goal in mind when he made the announcement.When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone is waiting for you to retire,” Ponting said.“And I do not know why, when you can still play as well as he has played (in the final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, ‘no, I am still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.”“And I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (50-over) World Cup (in 2027),” he concluded.India hosted the last Men’s Cricket World Cup, and had an exceptional run under Rohit’s leadership, winning 10 successive games in dominant fashion in their run till the finals. However, the side fell at the final stage, having been dealt a six-wicket defeat at the hands of the Pat Cummins-led Australia in the summit clash.Ponting believes that a sense of unfinished business may have to do with Rohit’s decision to stay in charge until the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.“I think probably the fact that they lost the last one and he was captain, that might be the thing that’s playing on the back of his mind,” Ponting noted.“Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup.”“I mean when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you would not say that his time is up just yet,” he concluded.Speaking after the win, Rohit had also said that with regard to playing 2the 027 World Cup, he is keeping all his options open, though he refused to commit to being a part of the squad for the marquee tournament taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.“It is very hard to say that right now,” he said on the prospect of taking part in the showcase in two years’ time as quoted by ICC.“But I am keeping all my options open. I want to see how well I am playing. Right now, I am playing really, really well, and I am enjoying everything I am doing with this team, and the team is enjoying my company as well, which is nice.”“I cannot really say 2027, because it is too far, but I am keeping all my options open,” he concluded his point.Hitman finished the 2025 Champions Trophy with 180 runs in five matches at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 100.00, with the best score of 76. (ANI)