Former World Cup-winning Indian captain Rohit Sharma during the India vs Pakistan match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Premadasa was present in the stadium. During the match, he revealed that he misses being a part of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup as the veteran player has played for them in all the T20 World Cups since the inaugural ICC event.
India are defending their ICC T20 World Cup title in India and Sri Lanka; However, the main challenges for the Men in Blue will lie in the next stage when they face the top qualified teams from the group stage of the tournament.
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“Playing for India and representing your country is a completely different feeling, so it’s something I really miss” – Rohit Sharma
The ICC T20 World Cup started in 2007 and Rohit Sharma has been a part of the competition since then. India has not played a single T20 World Cup without this legendary batsman. This batsman is also the highest T20I run scorer for India and the second highest run scorer overall.
After being left out of the T20 World Cup squad for the first time in his career, he announced his retirement from the format following his success in the 2024 World Cup. However, Sharma has admitted not wanting to be a part of the competition.
“Playing for India and representing your country is a completely different feeling, so it’s something I really miss. But I’m happy with it; you know I had my time, and I enjoyed playing all the World Cups, now it’s just like sitting on the other side and watching the game,” Rohit Sharma said.
Rohit Sharma mentioned India’s biggest challenge in ICC tournaments
Speaking from his vast experience of ICC tournaments, Rohit Sharma said that everyone playing against India in recent times wants to beat them, as it can lead to a big upset. However, this increases pressure on the opposition as well as the Indian side.
The former Indian captain said, “I am enjoying watching these guys play. They have made a good start in the World Cup and I hope they continue that. Whoever plays against India obviously wants to try to beat India. So, it becomes more challenging for the opposition and for us.”
Rohit Sharma gave credit to the Sri Lankan fans, saying, “Sri Lanka never disappoints.”
The former Indian captain now plays only the ODI format for India. However, having played several times in the Sri Lankan islands, Sharma pointed out that the Sri Lankan crowds are very enthusiastic about the game and they never fail to boost the morale of the visiting players.
“As you can see, you know, the crowd is already excited. Sri Lanka never disappoints. I have been here many times, and I have never disappointed in terms of support when you talk about the fans.
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