India’s T20 World Cup-winning skipper, Rohit Sharma, on Thursday said that he is “not going to stop” from winning major trophies for his country after their latest achievement. He also expressed gratitude to his “three pillars” for their support throughout his captaincy journey
Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Awards, Rohit mentioned that the team will continue to push itself and “strive for better things.”
“There is a reason I won five IPL trophies. I am not going to stop, because once you taste winning games and Cups, you don’t want to stop. We will keep pushing as a team and striving for better things in the future,” Rohit said.
“We have a couple of challenging tours coming up. For us, it never stops. Once you achieve something, you always look forward to achieving more. That’s what I will be doing, and I am confident mys teammates will be thinking the same way. What I’ve seen in the last two years in Indian cricket is real excitement and some outstanding cricket,” he added.
The Indian skipper expressed his dream of transforming his team into a unit with more freedom and less focus on statistics and milestones. He thanked his “three pillars”—former head coach Rahul Dravid, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah, and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar—for their support.
The 26th edition of the awards honored a distinguished group of cricketers and sports leaders who showcased exceptional talent and leadership throughout the year.
Phil Salt was celebrated as the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year, while Tim Southee earned the title of Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year. Shreyas Iyer received the Award for Outstanding Leadership for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Sai Kishore was recognized as the Domestic Cricketer of the Year for his consistent performances on the domestic circuit.
Virat Kohli took home the Men’s ODI Batter of the Year award, and Mohammad Shami was named the Men’s ODI Bowler of the Year. Harmanpreet Kaur received the Award for Most Matches as a Captain in Women’s T20I History. Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were honored as the Men’s Test Batter of the Year and Men’s Test Bowler of the Year, respectively. On the women’s side, Deepti Sharma was named Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year, and Smriti Mandhana earned the title of Women’s Indian Batter of the Year.
Shafali Verma received the Award for the Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test, while Jay Shah was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Sports Administration for his significant contributions to the sport. Rahul Dravid was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his glorious contribution to the world of cricket.
Rohit and his team ended India’s 11-year ICC trophy drought by defeating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final in June, capturing their second ICC T20 World Cup title in Barbados.