Mumbai, March 14 Former captain Rohit Sharma expressed hope on Saturday that India's men's and women's teams will build on their recent success in winning the T20 and 50-over World Cups, respectively, and will continue to bring glory to the country in the future.
India has recorded a string of wins in ICC events since Rohit led the team to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup. This was followed by the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side winning their maiden title in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, a year in which the women's U-19 team also clinched the global T20 title.
India began 2026 by winning the U-19 ODI World Cup for a record sixth time, while the Suryakumar Yadav-led senior team also won the T20 World Cup for a record third time last Sunday.
"I am very happy and proud to see what we have been achieving over the last couple of years," said Rohit, the face of the T20 Mumbai League, during the announcement of the fourth edition for men and the inaugural iteration for women here.
"It was fantastic to see the men's team, as well as the women's team winning the World Cup in (Navi) Mumbai," he added.
Rohit expressed hope that more global titles are on the way for India.
"The men's team has done something phenomenal recently. I hope this is just the beginning, and we can continue to build on this momentum," Rohit said.
The former India skipper also praised the people who work "behind the scenes" to make the success possible.
"There is no secret to success; it is all about hard work. Both the men's and women's teams have worked really hard to achieve what they have achieved today," he said.
"Of course, it's not just about the players on the field; there are so many people behind the scenes who have put in so much hard work for the team to succeed. We have a lot of people to thank," Rohit added.
The 38-year-old also said that apart from hard work, a player also needs luck to be in the right place at the right time.
"When players are selected for the national team, there is a reason why they have been chosen. We have seen that there is a lot of competition in our country when it comes to cricket. From U-14 level, you need to be lucky; of course, you need talent to succeed, but you also need to be lucky to be noticed at the right time and place," he said.
"Sometimes you can be as talented as you can be, but if people are not watching you, you can be slightly unlucky. You need to be lucky, but hard work is also essential, not just for those in Mumbai, but also for all the players representing the country," he added.
The T20 Mumbai League returned after a short hiatus last year for its third edition, and the eight-team men's league will also feature a three-team women's competition taking place concurrently this season.
"It was a tough task right after the IPL ended and the monsoon had just started. I would like to credit each and every member of the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) for pulling this off; it is not easy to organize three games in a day," he said.
"Also, a big round of applause to all the groundsmen who worked hard to get the grounds ready, which is why I said there is no substitute for hard work. With the addition of three new (women's) teams, it's getting bigger," he added.