India’s T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma said that he is “not going to stop” from winning big trophies for his country after their latest accomplishment and thanked his “three pillars” for their support in his journey as a captain. Rohit and his men ended India’s 11-year ICC trophy drought as they defeated South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final in June to capture their second ICC T20 World Cup title at Barbados. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Awards, Rohit said that the team will keep pushing itself and “striving for better things”.

“There is a reason I won five IPL trophies. I am not going to stop, because once you get the taste of winning games, and winning Cups, you do not want to stop and we will keep pushing as a team. We will keep striving for better things in the future,” said Rohit.

Rohit said that the team has some big assignments coming up, like the tour to Australia for five Tests later this year, the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Test Championship final (if the team qualifies for the latter) next year in Pakistan and the UK.

“We have got a couple of solid tours coming up, very challenging ones as well. For us, it never stops. Once you achieve something you always look forward to achieving more. That is what I will be doing. I am pretty sure my teammates will be thinking on the same line. What I have seen in the last two years in Indian cricket, there’s some real excitement, some real good cricket is being played,” he said.

The Indian skipper said that it was his dream to transform his team into a unit with more freedom and less thought about statistics and milestones. He thanked his “three pillars”, former head coach Rahul Dravid, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support.

“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about the stats, the results, to make sure that we create that environment where people can go out there and play freely without thinking too much. That is what was required. I got a lot of help from my three pillars, who are Mr Jay Shah, Mr Rahul Dravid (and the) chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar,” Rohit said.

“That was very critical for me to do what I did and not to forget the players, who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we achieved. When we won the World Cup, it was important for all of us to enjoy the moment which we did pretty well and thanks to our nation as well for celebrating with us,” he added.

Recapping the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024, Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) starred in Men in Blue’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final at Barbados on June 29.

Virat’s masterclass knock helped India reach 176/7 in 20 overs, while Bumrah and Pandya unleashed a pace choke on Proteas, snatching the match from a losing position to restrict Proteas to 169/8 in their 20 overs.

The 26th edition of the awards honoured 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. In recognition of his tactical brilliance, 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.

The Award for Most Matches as a Captain in Women’s T20I History was awarded to Harmanpreet Kaur, while Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were honoured 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 the Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year, and Smriti Mandhana earned the title of Women’s Indian Batter of the Year.

The Award for the Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test went to Shafali Verma, while Jay Shah was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Sports Administration for their significant contributions to the sport. For his glorious contribution to the world of cricket, Rahul Dravid was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

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