"Just in case this is the last, you leave with wonderful memories" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja's opportunities in 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that the 2025 Champions Trophy presents Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja with a great opportunity to leave with fantastic memories if it happens to be their last ICC event. The trio had announced their T20I retirement after India's title-winning run in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The 2025 Champions Trophy will be played in Pakistan and Dubai from Wednesday, February 19, onwards. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja are among the veterans in India's 15-member squad for the ICC event.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the cricketer-turned-commentator reflected on the opportunities for Indian players in the prestigious tournament. As for Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja, he said (10:10):

"When we talk about opportunities - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Make this tournament your own. Just in case this is the last, even if it's one percent, you leave with wonderful memories. That's what I am thinking. This is a big opportunity."

Chopra pointed out that the Indian fast bowlers, presumed to be the weak link in the side, have an opportunity to become famous.

"Fast bowling - where you see shortcomings, you will also see opportunities there. You can make a great name for yourself," Chopra observed.

Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are the three specialist seamers in India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad. Hardik Pandya is the only seam-bowling all-rounder in the mix.

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"Shubman Gill's last World Cup wasn't as good as I thought it would be" - Aakash Chopra on the opportunity for India opener in 2025 Champions Trophy

Shubman Gill will likely open with Rohit Sharma in the 2025 Champions Trophy. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have massive opportunities in the 2025 Champions Trophy. As for Gill, he said:

"These are huge opportunities for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. Shubman Gill's last World Cup wasn't as good as I thought it would be because dengue came in between. He missed a few games. He scored runs but not as many as I had assumed he would. So this could be that time."

The former India opener added that Shreyas Iyer has a chance to prove that the team management was wrong to consider leaving him out for the first ODI in the recent series against England.

"He (Gill) is reading and understanding ODI cricket extremely well. So I am hoping that he would be unstoppable and the same is the case for Shreyas Iyer. All the question marks, that he was called when he was watching a movie, have passed. He needs to just reinforce that what you were doing was wrong," Chopra observed.

Shreyas Iyer wasn't supposed to play the series opener against England. However, a swelling in the knee forced Virat Kohli to miss the game, allowing Shreyas to get into the XI. The Mumbaikar made the most of the opportunity by smashing a 36-ball 59 in the hosts' four-wicket win.