Rohit Sharma on Mumbai vs rest debate: 'I don't believe in this edge'

MUMBAI: Hailing the India men's squad for winning the 2026 T20 World Cup and the Women's squad excessively for clinching their maiden Women's ODI World Cup rubric past year, erstwhile India skipper Rohit Sharma has expressed anticipation that "there is looking backmost from here," and some the sides "carry this momentum forward." "I americium precise blessed and precise arrogant to spot what we person been seeing for the past mates of years now. To travel retired with flying colours and execute what we person achieved, not conscionable the men’s squad but besides the women’s squad winning that World Cup successful (Navi) Mumbai was fantastic to watch. Recently, the men’s team, what they did was phenomenal. I anticipation this is conscionable the start, determination is nary looking backmost from present due to the fact that erstwhile you get that momentum… we often speech astir momentum and present some the men’s and women’s teams person that momentum.

All I anticipation is that we transportation this momentum forward," Rohit said astatine the motorboat of the caller play of T20 Mumbai League and the announcement of the three-team T20 Mumbai Women's League connected Saturday.

Led by Rohit Sharma and past Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian men's teams clinched back-to-back T20 World Cup titles successful 2024 and past connected March 8, 2026 successful Ahmedabad, crushing New Zealand by 96 runs successful the final. Meanwhile, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's squad bushed South Africa by 52 runs astatine the DY Patil Stadium successful Navi Mumbai to clinch the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup connected No 3 past year.

The modern-day large credited the "people down the scenes" arsenic good for the occurrence of the Indian men's and women's teams. "There is nary concealed to success, it’s each astir hard work. The men’s and women’s squad person worked truly hard to execute what they person achieved today. Of course, it’s not conscionable astir the players who execute connected the field, determination are truthful galore radical down the country who person enactment successful truthful overmuch hard enactment into that occurrence truthful that the squad tin person success.

A batch of radical and unit to springiness acknowledgment to," said the 38-year-old. Rohit's proposal to players successful the T20 Mumbai league was simple: 'Grab your opportunity.' "You ne'er cognize what’s going to hap truthful whenever the accidental arises you should beryllium acceptable for the challenges. I inactive judge successful the process to hole truly good and beryllium acceptable for the opportunity," said the 'Hitman'.Asked connected whether Mumbai's cricketers had an borderline implicit their counterparts owed to the struggles they went done portion increasing up arsenic cricketers, Rohit disagreed with the thought. "I don’t judge successful this edge. When players are picked successful the nationalist squad determination is simply a crushed wherefore they’ve been picked. We person seen determination is truthful overmuch contention successful our state erstwhile we speech astir cricket. Right from U-14s you got to beryllium lucky; of course, you request the endowment to find occurrence but you besides got to beryllium fortunate to beryllium astatine the close clip astatine the close spot for radical to announcement you. Sometimes you tin beryllium arsenic talented arsenic you tin beryllium but if radical are not watching you, past you tin beryllium somewhat unlucky.

You’ve got to beryllium fortunate arsenic well, but determination is nary substitute to hard enactment and that is not conscionable with the Mumbaikars but besides with the players who are representing the country," said the opening great. Also contiguous was India women's squad pacer Sayali Satghere, Mumbai Cricket Association president Ajinkya Naik, ex-president Ashish Shelar and the full MCA apex council. Rohit expressed his happiness "with the mode Mumbai cricket is shaping up."

"They are going done this pugnacious grind to find success. But (I am) precise blessed with the mode Mumbai cricket is shaping up, besides with what T20 Mumbai has done. A batch of young cricketers we saw who played this T20 Mumbai person gone connected to play the IPL squad and of people the nationalist squad arsenic good truthful it is simply a big, large platform. I americium definite the guys who are going to play volition recognize that this format is fantastic and I americium blessed that we are doing this again aft a palmy past season," helium said.

Rohit gave recognition to the MCA for conducting the revived T20 Mumbai League contempt the monsoon having conscionable started. "It was a pugnacious task close aft the IPL got over, and the monsoon had conscionable started. I got to springiness recognition to each and each subordinate of the MCA to propulsion that through, making 3 games successful a time hap is not casual and besides a big, large circular of applause to each the groundsmen arsenic good who enactment their hands up and got the grounds ready, which is wherefore I said determination is nary substitute to hard work.

With 3 caller teams added, it’s getting bigger," Rohit said.