23/24: How Rohit Sharma and his Indian team have been dominating ICC tournaments

England also won two ICC titles in a four-year period – the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, their campaigns were not as dominant, losing six of the 23 matches they played in those tournaments.Rohit the captain acing big tournamentsRohit Sharma, who has led India to back-to-back ICC titles, boasts an impressive record of 27 wins and three losses at ICC limited-overs tournaments. His win-loss ratio of 9.00 is the best for any captain who has led their team in at least 15 matches across the three tournaments.With 27 victories, Rohit is already third on the list of most wins at ICC men’s tournaments, behind MS Dhoni (41) and Ponting (40).

Rohit’s record as captain in ODI tournaments featuring five or more teams is even more remarkable – 24 wins and just two defeats. The Champions Trophy victory was his third ODI title as captain in a multi-team tournament, adding to Asia Cup titles in 2018 and 2023.Only Imran Khan and Ponting, both with four titles, have won more ODI tournaments with five or more teams. Including last year’s T20 World Cup, Rohit has four multi-team tournament titles across formats, matching Imran, Ponting and Dhoni.Rohit’s overall win-loss ratio in ODIs is also the second best among captains to have led in 50-plus matches, behind West Indies’ Clive Lloyd.

What is making India so dominant?India’s recent dominance is due to exceptional batting and the adaptability of their bowling attacks. Traditionally they have played with at least three pace-bowling options in ODIs but in slower conditions on offer in Dubai during the Champions Trophy, they went big on spin.In the 2025 Champions Trophy, two-thirds of India’s overs were bowled by spinners. In the group game and final against New Zealand, spinners accounted for nearly 80% of the overs.

Under Rohit’s captaincy at ODI tournaments, India’s bowlers have averaged just 23.14 and struck once every 30 balls. They have bowled out opponents in 19 out of 26 innings and conceded 300-plus totals only once – 327 against New Zealand in 2023, after scoring 397 for 4.The bowlers have often ensured India do not need to chase big scores, and have led the team to many comfortable wins when they have had substantial totals to defend. Only two captains have had bowlers producing better averages in ODI tournaments – Ponting’s Australia (22.13) and Mahela Jayawardene’s Sri Lanka (23.07).

India’s batters under Rohit, meanwhile, average 46.92 runs at ODI tournaments, twice the bowling average. The batting strike rate of 93.46 under Rohit is surpassed only by South Africa under AB de Villiers (96.01) and England under Eoin Morgan (95.11).Transformation at the topOne of the key changes Rohit made was to bat more aggressively. He took advantage of the field restrictions in the first ten overs, ensuring India often remained ahead of the game in challenging chases.Since February 2022 – Rohit’s first ODI series as full-time captain – India have scored at 5.87 per over and averaged 55.15 per wicket in the first ten overs. In comparison, the collective run rate of the other five top teams (Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa) during the same period is 5.39, with an average of 34.64 per wicket. This means India have scored nearly five runs more than other top sides in the first ten overs while averaging 21 runs more per wicket.

India had not performed this well in the first ten overs in the past. In the 2010s, India generally scored about four runs more than other top teams, thanks largely to Virender Sehwag. However, they were averaging a couple of runs than the others at that time.A decline in performance was noticeable in the two years following their 2011 World Cup triumph, as they averaged only 29.3 per wicket in the first ten overs, leading to a transition away from the senior players.

When Rohit partnered with Shikhar Dhawan in 2013, the team had slower starts but maintained a higher average than the other top sides. India’s scoring rate did improve after Virat Kohli became captain in 2017 but they still lagged behind other teams, with an average higher by only three runs. Other teams had found ways to score more efficiently.Rohit had a strike rate of only 69.87 in the first ten overs in ODIs before taking up the captaincy, and averaged only 36.94. Over the last three years, he has scored 1292 runs in this phase, averaging 61.52 with a strike rate of 119.62.

In comparison, the other India batters in these past three years have scored at 80.93 in this phase. Shubman Gill’s contribution has been notable – 1126 runs with a strike rate of 94.22 and average of 93.83. His ability to anchor while Rohit attacks has been crucial to India’s success at the start of their innings.A settled batting unitIndia’s recent success in ODI tournaments can also be attributed to their stable batting line-up – a top four of Rohit, Gill, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, followed by KL Rahul at No. 5 or No. 6.These five batters have played 21 ODIs together – 18 wins and two losses.

Four of these five batters average above 50 in these 21 matches, with Rohit being the exception (average 49.04). However, Rohit’s strike rate of 116.51 is significantly higher than the others.Improvising in the late 30sRohit became India’s all-format captain just months before turning 35. At the age of 37 years and 60 days, he led India to victory in the T20 World Cup. He was 37 years and 313 days old when India won the Champions Trophy.The only captain older than Rohit to win an ICC trophy is Imran, who was 39 years and 172 days old when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 ODI World Cup. Brian Lara is the only other captain to win an ICC trophy after turning 35, having led West Indies to the 2004 Champions Trophy title at 35 years and 146 days.Age did not affect Rohit’s batting either; if anything, he has improved.

Since 2023, Rohit has a batting rating of 60.93 according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, the highest for any one with over 1000 runs in this period in completed ODIs. Heinrich Klaasen is next with 59.82, while Gill is third with 57.90. Rohit has recorded at least 50 batting rating points in 20 of his 36 innings in this period – that’s at least 50 batting rating points in 55.56% of his innings, the highest among 72 players to have batted at least 20 times.He is among 45 batters with over 1000 runs in men’s ODIs after turning 35. His strike rate of 117.37 is the highest among those, while only six players have a better average than his 49.60. For comparison, his strike rate in ODIs before turning 35 was 89.01, indicating a significant shift in his batting style late in his career.

Nineteen batters have scored 1500-plus runs in men’s ODIs both before and after turning 35. Of these, Rohit’s strike-rate ratio before and after turning 35 is 1.32, the best among the lot. Chris Gayle is a close second with a ratio of 1.29, having had a strike rate of 108.65 after turning 35, compared to 84.05 before.While the change in Rohit’s batting approach has resulted in fewer big scores and lower conversion rates – he has recorded only three centuries in 42 innings – his overall consistency has remained intact. His batting average was 48.60 before he turned 35, only one run lower than in the last three years.