Champions Trophy 2025: 'Those Guys Are Hungry' - Gambhir Believes Rohit & Kohli Will Play Massive Roles

Add as a preferred source on Google

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said "hungry" Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have "massive roles" to play for the team in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to be played in Pakistan and UAE from February 19.

Rohit and Kohli have struggled for runs in the recent past, and the duo have come under intense scrutiny following their performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series in Australia.

The duo also participated in domestic matches after BCCI's mandate for Indian players following the disappointing tour to Australia. Both Kohli and Rohit continued to disappoint with the bat for Delhi and Mumbai respectively in the Ranji Trophy.

Their modest form has fueled speculation about their future, but Gambhir had no doubts about both Rohit and Kohli's passion and ability, saying the duo add "so much value to Indian cricket".

"I think both Rohit and Virat, they add so much value to the dressing room. They add so much value to Indian cricket as well. They've got to play a massive role (in the Champions Trophy)," Gambhir said during the BCCI annual awards.

"And I've said it before as well, those guys are so hungry, they want to play for the country. They have the passion to play for the country and deliver for the country."

The upcoming ODI series against England will be key for Rohit and Kohli, who announced their retirement from T20 internationals last year, to regain some form heading into the ICC tournament.

Unlike the ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy has only three league matches, and Gambhir said the team cannot relax even for a moment as they will need to win five matches, including the two knockout games, if they aspire to be champions.

"The Champions Trophy is a completely different challenge as compared to the 50-over World Cup because literally every game is a make-or-break, so you can't stop anywhere in this tournament.So hopefully we're going to start off really well, because ultimately, if you want to go on and win the competition, you have to win five games," Gambhir added.

Team India has been drawn in Group A along with arch-rivals Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh. The Men in Blue, who open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20), will play all their matches in Dubai.