New Delhi, March 12: Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Rohit Sharma not looking to retire from ODIs means he has a specific goal of playing the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.

Rohit clinched his second ICC title as India captain when the side beat New Zealand by four wickets to win 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. There were rumours doing the rounds of Rohit retiring from ODIs just the way he called it quits from the T20I format after winning the World Cup in Barbados last year.

But the skipper, who top-scored with 76 to take the Player of the Final award, quashed all those talks after winning the Champions Trophy. “When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone’s waiting for you to retire.”

“And I don’t know why, when you can still play as well as he’s played (in the final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, ‘no, I’m still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.’ And I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (50-over) World Cup (in 2027),” said Ponting on The ICC Review show.

Rohit had led India to the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final on home soil, but suffered a heart-breaking six-wicket defeat at the hands of the Pat Cummins-led Australia in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Ponting believes that a sense of unfinished business may have to do with Rohit’s decision to stay at the helm of the Indian team until the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

“I think probably the fact that they lost the last one and he was captain, that might be the thing that’s playing on the back of his mind. Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup. I mean, when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you wouldn’t say that his time is up just yet,” he concluded.

New Delhi, March 12: Oscillatory motion is characterised by the repetitive back-and-forth movement of an object about a fixed point, as exemplified by a clock pendulum. In a competition to find the most oscillatory player in the Indian team, KL Rahul would end up as the unanimous choice.

Rahul’s masterful cover drives and effortless flicks off his wrists, when at his best, are simply poetry in motion. But it isn’t easy being Rahul – the ups and downs in his batting positions have been challenging, similar to a pendulum’s back-and-forth movement.

Rahul’s success in finishing matches for India during their 2025 Champions Trophy triumph exemplifies this. Rahul faced a new ODI challenge when he was moved to the sixth spot, the finisher’s position after Axar Patel took his usual number five slot. Add to it, in the ODI series against England, there were always questions over why Rahul was preferred ahead of Rishabh Pant.

Rahul’s success in that role for India in the Champions Trophy was marked by his calm, humble, and proactive adaptability—qualities that have become second nature to him. While his 136 tournament runs may seem insignificant, they don’t tell the whole story of his vital role in India’s lower middle order.

“He didn’t complain whenever he was sent down the batting order. He used to ask me how I could be better and why should I play in that way. See, whenever he goes to bat at number six, or seven, it is hardly a few balls. He has always opened the batting, wherever he played.”

“So the change of the mindset and adapting to the situation, it is all new. He has played different roles, but this role was different and he started working for it. The planning and preparation was good, so that is how he could play well. He understood his role, and if you watched the final, when the left-arm spinners were bowling, he would easily take the singles between point, cover and extra cover.”

“His planning was good, and he planned it in a way that ‘Yes, I have to do that. I have to cross the line and win match for the country’. Except for that little bit of misunderstanding in running between the wickets with Axar, where he was a little hesitant, he otherwise played beautifully.”

“It was like a symphony – he was playing and that grace was there in running, and hitting the ball. So, it was very natural for him, and I will tell you, that patience and calmness is God’s gift for him,” said Samuel Jayaraj, KL Rahul’s childhood coach.

Similar to his renowned namesake from Bengaluru, who thrived in diverse roles in the ODI set-up, including wicketkeeping, Rahul has proven to be equally adaptable. “It is fantastic to see a player to go down anywhere and play. I think this name Rahul – they will fit in anywhere they play. The senior Rahul also did that for the country, and now this boy also is doing it.

“He enjoys doing it, not even one day there was no loose talk or any complaint – nothing. He said, ‘Sir, I enjoy it’. We never discussed on the points like where here is going to do the batting. He would also say, ‘I have to be ready. I am going to count the number of balls left and I have got a plan like this’,” added Jayaraj.

India’s Champions Trophy win over Bangladesh, Australia, and New Zealand coming via chases were significantly aided by Rahul’s adaptability and taking charge in a tricky situation. His vital scores of 41, 42 not out, and 34 not out on the slow Dubai wickets were worth its weight in gold in guiding India to success under pressure. Rahul’s success in those three chases, according to Jayaraj, stemmed from his smart strategic preparation.

“If you are playing against a left-arm spinner, you practice for facing that in a game. If you are playing against a leg-spinner, you prepare to play for that. These are all things that everybody does. In present day cricket, there is no wasting time. Every second is very, very important when you practice.

“See, he has matured, and for me, he is very intelligent too. He is always a very thoughtful cricketer. So, it became easy for him, and he had that willingness in him to perform, win and finish matches. Plus, a very important thing was in his mind – on how he could play better.

“Comparatively, I think Virat, Shubman Gill, and Rohit played very well, but they were playing in different matches. When it comes to Rahul, he didn’t bat against Pakistan, and in the rest of the matches, he got runs for us.

“Against Australia also, he had that patience of playing long and waiting for the loose ball. We all say we work very hard and all, but I think he has worked smarter and harder this time,” he elaborated.

Rahul’s cricketing career summary wouldn’t be complete without mentioning India’s loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Rahul scored a 66 in the final, the slowest half-century for India in the tournament, and faced significant social media criticism as a result.

He later recounted in a YouTube chat with Ravichandran Ashwin about his uncertainty on the timing of taking down Mitchell Starc. But winning the Champions Trophy on March 9 could now comfort Rahul, a perspective Jayaraj supports.

“When we lost to Australia in the World Cup final, I think he took all the blame saying I should not have got out, that was a wrong timing, and I played a bad shot. That’s how an awakening call comes, and you get better from there. You start thinking, why it happened? How can I overcome it? So, all these thoughts were there.

“But he’s now got a trophy for the country, and it’s a very proud moment. When you lose a wicket in your match, then you start thinking, yes, I have to be a better player, my batting has to improve and I have to play more balls, as well as take the soft-handed singles, which he did in the final. It’s more about how well he built his innings, and even against Australia, he didn’t panic as there was so much of calmness,” he added.

Jayaraj also praised captain Rohit Sharma and the team management for supporting Rahul’s success in a new position. “The planning of the coaches was beautiful – they set the things correctly. If you ask me, I will give all my hats off to the coaches who have planned that.

“They wanted somebody to hold the innings there, and they believed in KL. They didn’t change when they could have sent KL up and would have asked Axar to come there. They didn’t do that as they believed in their set plan to go with that batting order.

“There was a lot of talking and understanding between the senior players and coaches. It gives you a lot of confidence as the team, captain, coach, management and selectors believe yes he will do it, and it was on purpose. I feel very proud now because he is doing lower middle order now,” he said.

Although the cricketing world is currently captivated by Rahul’s adaptable and cool-headed batting style in the Champions Trophy triumph, Jayaraj observed the tournament showcased the real Rahul – evoking memories of the time he saw him as a calm, disciplined, and obedient boy who was enthusiastic about batting.

“Everybody told me that against Australia, he played a fantastic game and I said, yes. I had gone out with my family for lunch on Sunday afternoon when somebody came and said, ‘Rahul has to play’. I said, ‘he has to perform’. I mean, it is his job, and if you start enjoying your job, and if you are happy there, you will perform.

“Whenever he batted in this Champions Trophy, I saw the real Rahul – when he was in his younger days – that focus, and batting grace. I have seen a lot of matches of his younger days, and really enjoyed seeing it. Even against Australia, he played very well. It was more of a mature innings in the final.”

“For me, he is always blessed, a good cricketer, and a good human being who enjoys his cricket. His humbleness and calmness are two of his great things, and I keep on telling him that. I could make out from his face that he enjoyed playing to his role, and that he was very, very happy in that phase, right from planning to preparation. He deserves all of this for the hard work and 10 years of good cricket he has played at the highest level,” he signed off.

Raipur, March 12: Sri Lanka Masters, India Masters, West Indies Masters and Australia Masters have qualified for the semi-finals of the inaugural International Masters League.

India Masters, who are second in the points table with eight points from their five league games, will play the first semi-final at Raipur on Thursday. They will play the team that finishes third in the points table.

Sri Lanka Masters, who have topped the points table with eight points and a superior Net Run Rate, will play the team that finishes fourth at the league stage, in the second semi-final on Friday in Raipur.

The third and fourth places in the points table will become clear after the last league game between Australia Masters and England Masters, which will be played in Raipur later today.

Currently, Australia Masters are at four points with one game to play, and West Indies Masters are at six points after playing all their matches.

The final of the IML will also be played at Raipur March 16.

The tournament will feature six teams, each led by legendary figures of cricket. Leading India is the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, while the West Indies team captained by the charismatic Brian Lara.

Sri Lanka’s team is led by the elegant Kumar Sangakkara, with Australia’s charge headed by the dynamic Shane Watson. England’s squad was under the leadership of the accomplished Eoin Morgan and South Africa’s team was captained by the all-round maestro Jacques Kallis.

The D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, and the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium hosted the IML league stage matches.

The final phase of the tournament, including the semifinals and the grand finale, will be hosted in Raipur, ensuring a grand conclusion to the league.