Rohit Sharma recalls story from India’s last win in ICC event; 'suddenly, umpire comes in'

India's white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma has revealed that during the 2013 Champions Trophy final all the players were thinking they would have to share the cup with England as it was raining non-stop the whole day in Birmingham. Rohit, in a video published by the ICC, said the entire Indian squad was relaxed and sitting in the dining area when one of the umpires came and informed them that the match will resume in 20 minutes. Rohit said the players were surprised when the umpire informed them about the resumption of the match as they were under the impression that the trophy would be shared because the officials will not have enough time to clear the outfield. 

“There’s a very good story to that final because it was raining the whole day. We thought we will have to share the trophy with England. With the amount of rain that came down, we thought there is no possibility of play because of the wet outfield and all of that. The groundsmen said they need a certain time and all of that to get the ground ready. So inside we were assuming that it’s not possible and it's gonna be a draw so we will have to share the trophy,” Rohit said in a video shared by the ICC on Monday.

“All the guys were relaxed. Nobody was talking about the game. Nobody was thinking about the game. We were sitting in the dining area, chilling, talking about something else. Suddenly, the umpire comes in and he says the game will start in 20 minutes. We just jumped out of our seats and were like, Okay, Really?” Rohit added.

The match was shortened to 20 overs due to the lack of time. India went on to win the game by 5 runs. Batting first, India posted a total of 129/7 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli top-scored for India with his 43 off 34 balls. Shikhar Dhawan contributed by 31 off 24 balls and Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten at 33 off 25 balls. In reply, the MS Dhoni-led side restricted England for 124/8 in 20 overs. Eoin Morgan top-scored for England with 33 off 30 balls. 

The 2013 Champions Trophy victory was the last time Team India won a major ICC event. India have since qualified for three World Cup semi-finals - 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cup, 2019 50-over World Cup, but have failed on each occasion to advance to the ultimate stage. In the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE, India registered its worst performance in an ICC event since 2012 as the side faced elimination in the group stage itself. India are playing its last game of the competition against Namibia on November 8.    

Image: RohitSharma/Insta