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South Africa cricketing legend AB de Villiers lashed out at rumors on Rohit Sharma's retirement after India defeated New Zealand to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. During India's Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, there were rumors that Rohit would retire after the tournament. After India's four-wicket win in the final, Rohit openly announced that he was not retiring from ODIs and requested everyone to stop spreading rumours.
AB de Villiers backed Rohit's decision to continue playing the 50-overs format. He believes that Rohit's staggering record as captain speaks for itself and he has no reason to retire from the ODIs.
After winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit became only the second Indian captain to win multiple ICC tournaments. He guided India to the T20 World Cup title last year. The 36-year-old has the best win percentage among all captains in ODI cricket.
"Compared to other captains, look at Rohit's win percentage, it's almost 74%, which is substantially more than any other captain of the past. If he keeps going, he will go down as one of the best ODI captains of all time. Rohit has also said he is not retiring and has requested that rumours be stopped spreading.
"Why would he retire? With that kind of record not only captain but also as a batter. That 76 in the final off 83 balls, giving India a fantastic start, laying the foundation for success and leading from the front when the pressure was at its peak," said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers backed Rohit Sharma's updated way of batting in the last couple of years. He said that there is no reason for him to retire from ODIs as his attacking batting in the first 10 overs gives the Indian innings a much-needed start.
"Rohit Sharma has got no reason to retire. No reason to take any criticism whatsoever. His record speaks for himself. Not only that, but he has also sort of transformed his game. If we have a look at his strike rate in the powerplay it was quite low for an opening batter in the powerplay but since 2022 his strike rate has rose to 115 in the first powerplay and that's the difference between good and great. It's transforming your own game and it never stops. You have always something to learn and something to do better," he added.
Former South Africa captain praised Rohit for making a comeback after poor performances in the Test series against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
"As an Indian fan, you've got to be proud of him. It has not always been plain sailing for him. His form in different formats has been up and down but when it comes to the big moments, the big matches, he leads from the front," de Villiers said.
Rohit Sharma-led India were unbeaten throughout the Champions Trophy. They defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in group stage matches. The Men in Blue defeated Australia in the semifinal to seal their spot for the title decider.
