India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav wished Men in Blue luck ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand and also lauded skipper Rohit Sharma's fitness and contributions as captain in recent years, which include taking India to the final of all ICC tournaments during his tenure. India will be playing New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on March 9 at Dubai International Stadium. With India being undefeated in the tournament so far and the Kiwis having looked rock solid with bat and ball under the captaincy of Mitchell Santner, the clash promises to be an epic sequel to their 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, when NZ won. Men in Blue would like to avenge losses to the Blackcaps in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal and 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
Speaking to ANI exclusively, Suryakumar said, "India has been playing really well. If they continue to do so well, the final would be just another game. I would like everyone to perform well, from player number one to 15 and the support staff as well."
On recent remarks and trolling on Rohit's fitness, especially by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed, who in a now-deleted X post called him "fat" and India's "most unimpressive captain", Suryakumar brought up Hitman's laurel of leading India to all ICC tournament finals, i.e, the ICC World Test Championship final 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final, ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
"As a captain, he has led us to four ICC events final, it is a big matter for the country. It is really big if someone plays this way for 15-20 years. I have watched him so closely, how hard he works during franchise and international cricket. He is right there at the top. I wish him luck for the final," said Suryakumar.
Suryakumar last played an ODI under Rohit's captaincy during the 2023 World Cup final against Australia at Ahmedabad. Under Rohit's captaincy, he has also won the T20 World Cup 2024. Also, he has won multiple Indian Premier League (IPL) titles under Rohit's captaincy for Mumbai Indians (MI) and played a crucial role in his franchise's success.
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