Rohit Sharma breaks massive MS Dhoni record as captain in IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma continued his incredible run as captain by leading the side to the 2025 Champions Trophy final. In the process, he created a record and left former skipper MS Dhoni behind. The Men in Blue upstaged Australia by four wickets in a tightly contested semifinal in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4.

While the win helped India qualify for a third consecutive Champions Trophy final, it also placed Rohit in a rarified air of glory. The 37-year-old became the first captain to lead a side to the finals of all four Men's ICC events — ODI and T20 World Cups, World Test Championship (WTC), and Champions Trophy.

MS Dhoni, regarded by most as India's greatest captain, led India to titles in the three white-ball ICC tournaments - T20 and ODI World Cups and Champions Trophy. However, the introduction of WTC came long after he retired from the Test format.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma led India to back-to-back WTC finals in 2021 and 2023, respectively. However, the former could captain the side to only the Champions Trophy final (2017) among the three white-ball ICC events.

While Rohit tasted ultimate success in the T20 World Cup last year, India faltered under him in the finals of the 2023 WTC and ODI World Cup, suffering defeats to Australia on both occasions.

Nevertheless, Rohit boasts an outstanding record as India's captain, winning 102 out of 141 games across formats with an incredible win percentage of over 72.

"We were very clinical with the bat" - Rohit Sharma on IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal

Rohit Sharma expressed his delight with India's brilliant run-chase against Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal. The win helped the Men in Blue qualify for a fifth Champions Trophy final, having achieved the same in 2000, 2002, 2013, and 2017.

Chasing a formidable 265 for victory on a tricky Dubai surface, India displayed incredible poise to achieve the target in the penultimate over.

Talking about the win at the post-match presentation, Rohit said (Via Cricbuzz):

"Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. That's how this game is. Halfway through the game, we felt like it's a reasonable score. We had to really bat well to get that score because the nature of the pitch doesn't allow you to just come in and keep playing the way you want to play. We were very clinical with the bat. Yes, we got the runs in the 48th over, but I thought we were calm and composed in our chase."

Virat Kohli was the star of the show with a brilliant 84 off 98 deliveries, earning him a seventh Player of the Match award in ICC ODI tournaments.

Rohit Sharma will look to add a second ICC title to his captaincy resume when India play South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday, March 9.