Fifteen long years. That’s how long we waited. Since that magical night in 2007  and the heartbreaks in 2014, 2016, and 2022,  we’ve laughed, cried, hoped, and hurt. But one thing always remained throughout this journey: that we believe. And on June 29, 2025, that belief became true joy. India are once again T20 World Champions, but there is something different about it this time.

Rohit Sharma, a man who’s carried the weight of a billion dreams for over a decade, walked out for one last dance. Virat Kohli, the heartbeat of Indian cricket, had one more tale to tell. And in every match, this team did not just play it fought for something bigger: for legacy, for redemption, for every Indian who has stood behind them.

This was more than a single player. It had been Bumrah throwing fire with ice in his veins. It was Axar becoming an unlikely hero. It was Surya all sunshine and Hardik all heart. It was one team, purposeful, loving, and proud.

STAR SPORTS SPECIAL EDIT FOR INDIA's T20I WC VICTORY 🥹🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/tUtw764VJJ

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 29, 2025

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The Night Dreams Came True
June 29, 2025. A date that is now etched in our hearts. India and South Africa took on each other in the final amid the buzzing stands of Kensington Oval. Bat first, pressure on, wickets tumbling, but then quiet Kohli, fiery Axar, and 176 on the board to defend. Not perfect. But enough, if we fought hard.

And oh, did we fight. Bumrah delivered spells that made time stop. Hardik turned the tide. Arshdeep and Kuldeep squeezed the life out of the chase. Final over. 16 needed. The air was stiff with nerves. And then  a dot, a wicket, another dot... and silence turned into the loudest roar. South Africa fell short. India rose. And so did the tears.

As India gears up for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, eyes will definitely be on the senior players, with Virat Kohli expected to remain a vital part of the Indian men's batting contingent. With Kohli having retired from Test cricket in early 2025, he will now be fully focused on the various white-ball formats and, more so, ODIs. With the Men's ODI World Cup being played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, the Men in Blue will be concentrating on honing their squad, blooding younger players, and settling on a playing XI that can perform under pressure. Kohli's experience will be especially useful here in the meantime and transition period. 

India's ODI calendar between mid-2025 and early 2027 features a number of significant bilateral series, providing a combination of home and away tests. The ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) includes India playing a total of 27 ODIs prior to the World Cup. The games will be crucial in gauging bench strength, measuring form, and giving match practice against strong cricketing nations such as Australia, England, and New Zealand.

Kohli, presuming fitness and form, is likely to play in most of these series. His job will not only be to make runs but also to lead young players and offer stability in high-intensity games. India will go into each series with a razor-sharp eye on combinations, depth, and flexibility across conditions. This is the entire list of India's upcoming ODI series prior to the 2027 World Cup:

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India’s ODI Matches Before 2027 World Cup

Former India opener and World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir has put paid to rumors of a row between him and Rohit Sharma, ending recent media speculation that speculated about animosity between the two cricketing legends. Dismissing the topic in an open conversation with ABP, Gambhir not only denied tension but also spoke of highest respect for Rohit as a cricketer and a person.

“Just two months ago, a captain and a coach won the Champions Trophy, and now you’re asking me if there’s something going on between me and Rohit Sharma? There’s nothing like that,” Gambhir stated firmly. “If someone raised this question just for TRP or views for their YouTube channel, then they should do their homework better.”

The speculation started after some heated on-field arguments and web-based assumptions, but Gambhir's explanation seems to close the door on those rumors. Famous for his no-nonsense attitude, the ex-left-handed batter didn't beat around the bush when it came to refuting clickbait stories.

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Gambhir claims he has respect for Rohit Sharma and refutes any feud between them

In another display of friendship and respect, Gambhir highlighted the esteem in which he holds Rohit Sharma, currently the captain of the Indian national team across formats.

"I have a lot of respect for Rohit Sharma," he stated. "I respect the man that he is, I respect the human being he is, I respect what he has done for Indian cricket and his contribution. And I have a lot of time for somebody like Rohit Sharma."

Gambhir, now engaged in coaching and mentoring assignments in the IPL and elsewhere, has had strong opinions on team unity and cricketing ideologies. His recent comment seems to be an overt effort to clear the air and steer focus back onto cricketing issues rather than off-field rumors.

With the ICC T20 World Cup looming on the horizon and Indian cricket at a high-stakes juncture, the leadership group's unity is greater than ever. And if the words of Gambhir are to be believed, the former opener and India captain are most definitely on the same wavelength.

Rohit Sharma revealed his moving road to the Champions Trophy victory while discussing his evolving cricket mindset from previous years. During his appearance on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast with Michael Clarke, Rohit Sharma discussed the team's multiple losses prior to the Champions Trophy while explaining what drove them to achieve victory.

The win of the Champions Trophy meant everything to Rohit, according to his response. The team experienced numerous setbacks that developed before the Champions Trophy competition started. India was unsuccessful in both series when Australia and New Zealand visited India. We needed to reverse the situation. We wanted to bounce back.” According to Rohit, the team succeeded because his players maintained absolute mental clarity throughout the tournament.

Rohit explained that India's constant use of the same players was a major reason behind their comeback. “Therefore we maintained almost the identical squad throughout the World Cup period since I interpreted our performance to be excellent.” His team stayed with the same players despite injuries only occurring to Bumrah, as he mentioned.

Rohit Sharma:I don’t think it all about scoring runs, it’s about winning games ,it’s about winning trophies.If you don’t win trophies ,the runs are of no use.

ALPHA MENTALITY 🥶

pic.twitter.com/8HQg8odD84

— Rohan💫 (@rohann__45) April 16, 2025

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Team First: A Shift in Perspective

Rohit described his development as a cricketer as a transformation beyond strategy because he realized focusing on the sport as winning games became more vital than amassing runs. Eligibility to win starts by scoring runs when players enter competitive matches. I want to perform. When you continue playing cricket, you understand it goes beyond scoring runs since the ultimate goal becomes the successful completion of games and winning championships, according to him. And Rohith mentions that I don’t think it’s all about scoring runs; it’s about winning games, it’s about winning trophies. If you don’t win trophies, the runs are of no use. 

During the 2019 World Cup failure, he expressed that scoring five centuries meant nothing because India lost its way to the semifinals. When I returned home on board, I finally understood that those runs proved unimportant. The day after the tournament loss, my perspective changed as I dedicated my focus to winning championships instead of personal achievements. Through his story, Rohit demonstrates his establishment as a team-oriented leader who puts team success before individual achievements.

Mohammed Siraj, who faced the odyssey of being a benchwarmer during the most significant match of the 2025 Champions Trophy (CT 2025), talked about the incident. He explained that Rohit Sharma’s mastermind plan was to support the spinners over the pacers and was purely based on the pitch conditions and what was best for the team.

Rohit’s Decision to Exclude Siraj:

Siraj, showing respect and insightful opinion of the mode of Rohit Sharma’s decision, gave a comment, “Rohit bhai does what is best for the team. He had so much experience and knew that pacers wouldn’t be effective on that track. He knew spinners would be more useful, and that’s why they decided to snub me.” It is noteworthy that this showcased his cunning cognition due to cricket and ability to make challenging decisions when the team called for them.

Mohammed Siraj opens up about his omission from the Champions Trophy 2025 squad. 🇮🇳🏆

What are your thoughts on his exclusion? 🤔#Cricket #Siraj #India #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/JiMoTbWFhl

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 25, 2025

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Spinners Shine in CT 2025:

The move by Rohit was great in that India used spinners in almost all of the friendly tracks, and they won these matches. It was an illustration of his in-depth analysis of the conditions, grounded by his game face, which helped India earn a spot in the competition.

The comments by Siraj reveal his unselfish attitude and the reason why India, a collective of individualistic players, continues to be an intact and solid team under Rohit's captaincy.

Unmatched Joy Among Fans:

When India became the Champions Trophy 2025 winners by defeating Pakistan, the masses started posting like mad in social media, with an almost 100% record of fans showering love all over the platform. It was another significant achievement in the history of Indian cricket, and it was akin to when India succeeded in 2013. The worldwide number one trending hashtags like #ChampionsIndia #CT2025Winners were too much to handle, along with the display of floods of people‘s nostalgia.

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Player Magic That Went Crazy Online:

The Indian team has captured the imagination of the social media world. Not to be overlooked were instances of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma showing emotions with their famous tight hug, that historic white jacket, and Jadeja‘s enthusiastic victory trot, which were watched by tens of millions. The videos of them raising the trophy while fireworks were going off became an instant hit, much to the delight of the fans of the event. The sheer enjoyment the team got out of the whole situation was a manifestation of their hard work and perseverance, which ultimately won them the title.

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Champions Trophy 2025 Best Social Media Highlights:

• 157M views: Watching the Then and Now moment from 2013 to 2025 was a treat not to be missed.
• 128M views: The heartfelt chills fans experienced as they watched Kohli and his team celebrate.
• 94M views: It was all about the good old days when you got to see your heroes in action.
• 75M+ views: The moment of triumph & Father-Daughter hitting it off.

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India's Champions Trophy 2025 victory will go down in history as probably the most incredible moment in cricket history, with social media getting the lion’s share of the attention and uniting millions of fans globally.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was a watershed moment in India's cricket viewing, setting a new record in television and online platforms. At an all-time high viewership, the series ranked among the highest-watched sports events of all time.

According to official records, JioStar boasted a record 250 billion overall views, the highest among cricket fans. Even the live television broadcast, Star Sports, witnessed history-shattering action with 137 billion views. JioHotstar, another household streaming service, received 110+ billion views, pointing towards the shift towards digital viewing.

The final match in the tournament witnessed a record-breaking real-time viewership. TV viewership peaked at 122 million concurrent viewers, one of the all-time highest TV audiences for a cricket match in India. Digitally, 61 million concurrent viewers viewed the final live, which only serves to underscore the increasing dominance of online media in sports broadcasting.

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The record-breaking ratings reflect India's unprecedented passion for cricket and increased availability of live sporting action on old and new media. Success of Champions Trophy 2025 also indicates the role played by streaming media in transforming sport viewing, with more viewers abandoning traditional cable television to watch games on smart TVs and mobiles.

Industry experts believe that the combined coverage of television and digital media has set a new standard for cricket watching. Increased adoption of high-speed internet, along with low-cost mobile data, has contributed significantly to this increase.

With the ICC T20 World Cup and certain other major events lined up for the coming years, such statistics indicate that Indian cricket viewership will continue to increase. The 2025 Champions Trophy has certainly reached new heights and been an unforgettful moment for world cricket fans.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lost a huge sum of money after the ICC Champions Trophy, which was the first ICC tournament in Pakistan in 29 years. The PCB lost a record Rs 869 crore in preparations for the tournament, including stadium refurbishment, security, etc. But the board earned only Rs 52 crore from hosting and ticketing fees. This led to a huge loss of Rs 739 crore, and the PCB's future to host big events was doubted. The poor financial performance has placed the PCB in a defensive position, and it is now reconsidering hosting future tournaments. The loss also questioned the long-term sustainability of hosting such tournaments in Pakistan.

Disappointing Return Despite Success of the Event:

While the Champions Trophy as a sporting event was a success, with the Pakistani team performing well and the crowd attending in good mood, the return in the form of finance was much less than expected. The PCB also expected to gain a profit by staging the tournament, but ticket and sponsorship sales were not sufficient to counter the astronomical expense. The loss signals the risks involved in hosting international events. The PCB will now have to investigate future events and how to organize them so that they raise sufficient money to avoid future financial losses. The board can also seek means of securing better sponsors and high turnout at future tournaments so as to reduce financial risks. In the future, the PCB can seek alternative revenue sources so that they can be profitable in the future.

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High Risks in Hosting Big Events:

This loss illustrates the danger in hosting large international events. Despite the fact that the PCB incurred a lot in preparing for the Champions Trophy, the revenue generated was not sufficient to offset the expenses. The board will have to plan thoroughly for future events to ensure that they are economically viable.

Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy praised his captain Rohit Sharma for how he kept him employed during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. After taking part in India’s victorious campaign, Chakravarthy offered admiration for Rohit’s prowess, one of the greatest captains of all time.

Rohit’s Smart Captaincy Brings Out the Best in Chakravarthy

Chakravarthy cited instances of how Rohit Sharma optimally utilized his bowling capabilities at different times of the game, I bowled two overs in the Powerplay, two to three overs at the death, and was called upon whenever a wicket was needed in the middle overs. Such efficient and effective utilization of Chakravarthy’s resources lead to him achieving great results and helped the team win.

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Rohit’s Leadership Earns High Praise

Chakravarthy added that even before he attempted to tell his best bowling plan, Rohit had already anticipated it. He knew how to get the best out of me without me even saying it.

With Rohit Sharma now serving as the captain, India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 under his captaincy further solidifying the fact that he is one of the best captains in the history of cricket. The success of the campaign stemmed from him utilizing his skills to manage players and make vital moves to achieve victory.

A Glorious Win for India 

During the final, India achieved their best performance of the series, doing well in every aspect of the game. The batsmen assure themselves a strong total while the bowlers had very disciplined attacks preventing New Zealand from scoring. The fielding was simply brilliant all around India and subsequently, they claimed their well deserved victory. The fans rejoiced and celebrated all over the country claiming this as India's best achievement and victory of their cricketing journey. 

‘Exceptional game, exceptional result’: PM Modi congratulates Team India on Champions Trophy win pic.twitter.com/pPdoAEUU9d

— Bipin kumar Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@bipinkmr0017) March 10, 2025

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PM Modi's Heartfelt Appreciation

Following this victory, PM Modi decisively congratulated the team for their amazingly impressive performance on social media. He extended his praise for their undivided, strong efforts that gave joy to millions of people all across the nation. “A fantastic win for Team India! Your dedication and perseverance have made the nation proud,” he stated. 

In addition, he showed appreciation along New Zealand for their great sportsmanship and empowered Indian cricketers to do better. Claiming the victory of the Champions Trophy has simply made Indians and their reputation as a great superpower in world cricket even greater. Factoring this, more generations from India are sure to rise, inspired by this astounding win.