"The biggest legacy is not winning the tournaments" - Ex-teammate's huge statement on Rohit Sharma's captaincy after 2025 Champions Trophy final

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted how Rohit Sharma's legacy extends to several other factors apart from his twin ICC title triumphs as captain of the side. Rohit became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC titles after the Men in Blue lifted the 2025 Champions Trophy following a win over New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.

Rohit led from the front in the summit clash, scoring a well-made 76 to headline the run chase. Under his reign, Team India have played in four finals in ICC events, winning two out of them to set a new benchmark, and cast India as a major heavyweight in world cricket.

Despite his captaincy delivering titles, which ended a drought that stretched 11 years, Ashwin feels that the way Rohit has revolutionized white-ball batting remains his biggest achievement since taking over as leader of the team.

"The biggest legacy is not winning the tournaments, he has won five trophies with MI, he has now won 2 ICC titles also. Rohit Sharma has changed the batting frontier of Indian white-ball cricket, that is his greatest legacy," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Rohit Sharma's aggressive approach at the top has served India well in recent times. His ability to maximise the powerplay, and build a solid foundation more often than not has helped the middle-order batters to ease into their innings later on.

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"Not like the time he was batting in the World Cup final against Australia" - R Ashwin highlights difference between Rohit Sharma's knocks in recent ICC ODI finals

It was no surprise that Rohit Sharma took on the New Zealand bowlers in the first powerplay. He has employed the same approach irrespective of the opposition or the occasion. The opener had unleashed an aggressive assault against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

On that occasion, the skipper scored 47 runs off 31 deliveries, before being dismissed in the final over of the first powerplay. In the Champions Trophy final, he made sure to maximise his start, and converted his start to a half-century, and a match-winning knock.

"This was not the usual Rohit Sharma, it was not like the time he was batting in the World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. These were measured shots. He knew Nathan Smith was new to the circuit, so he properly attacked him, he did not allow him to return to the attack," Ashwin pointed out.

Ashwin hit out against people who have been critical of Rohit Sharma's high-risk approach.

"Keep all of that on the side, everything is done now. He has won 2 ICC titles, who cares whether he scores 40 or 50, he has 11,000 runs in ODIs, he is a stalwart. People want to find something or the other, why? India's white-ball thought process has always been to score big and remain not out," he added.

Rohit Sharma ended the 2025 Champions Trophy campaign with 180 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 100.