Rohit Sharma promises to bring Champions Trophy 2025 to Wankhede Stadium (Ld)

Mumbai, Jan 19 Having brought two ICC trophies to the Wankhede Stadium -- the 2007 T20 World Cup as a member of the team and the 2024 T20 World Cup as skipper, India captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday promised that his team will do it's best to bring the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy to the iconic venue for another round of celebration.

As the 2025 Champions Trophy was brought onto the stage and displayed to the people, Rohit said among the most cherished moments of his life was bringing the 2024 T20 World Cup to Wankhede after an open-top bus ride around Marine Drive.

"I am sure when we reach Dubai the wishes of 140 crore people will be with us. We will try to win it and bring the (ICC Champions Trophy) back here at the Wankhede," said Rohit.

The 37-year-old made the promise at the function organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to celebrate the completion of 50 years of the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

The Champions Trophy, which is on a Trophy Tour around all participating countries, was brought into the Wankhede to mark the occasion. Rohit was present on the stage in the middle of the Wankhede Stadium along with Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Diana Edulji and Ajinkya Rahane as players from Mumbai who have gone on to captain India in various forms of cricket.

Rohit said he wanted the Indian team to celebrate its triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium because the venue has never disappointed him.

“We were locked inside the hotel in Barbados. But winning the World Cup and celebrating it with your people is a different thing. You celebrate anyway with your players and teams but celebrating it with your people is a different feeling and I knew that would happen only once we were back in Mumbai.

“It was my dream to play cricket here at Wankhede since I was a kid. Irrespective of who plays here, India, Mumbai or Mumbai Indians, the crowd never disappoints and that’s why it’s a different feeling when you play here.

“When we returned from South Africa after winning the (T20) World Cup, I dreamt about winning another World Cup and bringing it here.”

“I remember, we were still in Barbados after winning the (T20) World Cup and we were stuck there due to a storm but planning was in process as to what we will do once we are back in India. It was planned that we would go to (New) Delhi but what after that?

"No one knew what to do after that but I wanted that World Cup (trophy) to come here at Wankhede. Each of the World Cups which we have won in 2007 and 2011 have been celebrated at Wankhede and bringing the trophy of 2024 was also very important for us," said Rohit.

"When we celebrated here the stands were full, even today it is full which is special about Wankhede," the India captain added, who received the loudest cheers after Sachin Tendulkar from the assembled spectators.

On the occasion, the India captain also remembered his first visit to the iconic stadium and how that visit inspired him to dream of one day playing for the country.

"Wankhede is one ground where every cricketer dreams of playing here and seeing them come to reality. It is good to dream and to see them come to reality and I have watched and played cricket since my childhood because the atmosphere at this ground is very different. Every cricketer loves to come here and play cricket so that is the feeling you get at Wankhede," said Rohit.