“I believe Rohit Sharma ought to play with aggression. He was attacking even in the final, as you could see from his batting performance during the ODI World Cup.
The Indian team is preparing for the three-match ODI series against the same opponent, which will be a critical test for India’s ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, following a 4-1 victory in the T20I series against England.
As Rohit Sharma and company enter a multi-team competition for the first time since their 2024 victory in the T20 World Cup in June, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina offered his opinions on the forthcoming series and what lies ahead for them.
Therefore, I think he will continue to use the same strategy. Who will open with him—will it be Shubman? That is the crucial question. “I recall that they always play with an aggressive intent,” Raina told Star Sports.
“An aggressive captain is Rohit Sharma.
It is admirable how he employs his bowlers, tactically depending on spinners and putting in Mohammad Shami at key times. Rohit’s captaincy also changes when he hits runs. If he wins, he will become the first Indian player to win four ICC trophies, and this might be his final ICC trophy as captain. Securing the Champions Trophy would be an incredible accomplishment, and he has previously won the T20 World Cup. He will be driven to succeed, but he will need to score runs,” he continued.
“Rohit Sharma’s strike rate has improved significantly after the ODI World Cup in 2023,” Raina added, highlighting how important Virat Kohli and Rohit’s form will be for India. He has now become one of India’s top ODI batsmen, scoring runs at a strike rate of 119-120. I would believe that having a solid track record of previous performances gives Rohit and Virat a great deal of confidence. They both have the ability to score large runs and work well together. India’s ICC Men’s Champions Trophy campaign will greatly benefit from their strong performance.
“Virat is adept at turning on and off when it comes to white-ball cricket. His enthusiasm level will naturally be higher because he has scored the most runs versus England. Nagpur, Ahmedabad, and Cuttack—all of which are high-scoring locations—will host the three ODIs,” he continued.
“I think Jadeja will definitely play because of his effectiveness in ODIs,” the former cricket player continued, discussing the spin department and team mix. Although Kuldeep hasn’t participated in any games since getting hurt, Axar Patel has been playing well lately. There will be considerable seam movement on the Dubai wickets, but spin will also be important. Kuldeep, Axar, and Jadeja must therefore be at their best. Rohit’s selection of the team will be very important.
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