It was widely anticipated in the lead-up to selection day that India would stick with Rohit Sharma as their captain for the one-day international team. Despite not having played competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 in June, Rohit Sharma remained the frontrunner to lead the ODI side in their short three-match series in Australia in October. However, he was replaced by Shubman Gill when chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-man squad at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Saturday, 4 October.
Gill was named the new ODI captain, only months after taking over the reins of the Test side. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were included in the 15-man squad, which also features a new vice-captain in Shreyas Iyer.
The decision to move on from Rohit Sharma has come midway through the four-year cycle between ODI World Cups. Rohit continued as captain despite India’s defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia. Since then, he has led India to a T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 and was instrumental in their unbeaten run to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year. Rohit Sharma, who took over as full-time captain in 2021, led in 56 one-dayers and won 46 of them.
The selection panel, in agreement with the Gautam Gambhir-led team management and the BCCI top brass, appears to have made the big call to give Shubman Gill two years to prepare for leading India’s title hunt at the 2027 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in October-November that year in Africa.
Rohit Sharma, now 38, will be 40 by the time of India’s World Cup campaign in 2027. While some expected him to continue as captain, others speculated that it could be the end of the road for him and Kohli in international cricket, with rumours of a farewell series being planned in Australia. However, both veterans have been working hard on their comebacks. Rohit Sharma has been training in Mumbai under the guidance of former assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, while Kohli has been preparing in London.
Former India selector Saba Karim has criticised the BCCI’s call to remove Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain ahead of the upcoming series against Australia.The decision marks a major shift in India’s leadership setup, just months after Rohit guided the team to the 2025 Champions Trophy title. Saba Karim, however, believes the timing and reasoning behind the move make little sense.
This is a very abrupt decision- Saba Karim on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy axe
Former national selector Saba Karim has slammed the decision to remove veteran batter Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain. On Saturday, October 4, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19 in Perth.
While Rohit Sharma was included in the squad, he was stripped of the captaincy, with Shubman Gill appointed as the new skipper. Since then, various experts have weighed in on the decision, with former India cricketer Saba Karim also joining the debate and slamming the selectors for their move, saying [via KADAK]:
“I think this is a very abrupt decision and there was absolutely no need for it. He (Rohit Sharma) is a winning captain who has led you to back-to-back trophies, and you have bid him farewell in such a manner. This has been a very surprising and shocking decision for me.”
“There was still time; it’s not as if there was any need to rush. The World Cup is in 2027, and he had already informed that he would play only one format. He has built this team so brilliantly, the team that won the Champions Trophy, the T20 title before that, and the way the team is currently performing in T20s, Rohit Sharma has had a massive role in building it,” he added.
Saba Karim continued:
“It’s not like he suddenly forgot how to captain or that he doesn’t know how to lead in this format. Nor is it that he doesn’t know how to score runs in this format. He’s the one who, by opening the innings, showed everyone how to maintain the scoring rate and what approach to take on the field. So, in my opinion, his exit has been extremely shocking.”
Rohit Sharma led India in 56 ODIs, securing 42 victories and guiding the team to triumph in the 2025 Champions Trophy. During the same interaction, Saba Karim also stated that he believes India should have separate captains for white-ball and red-ball cricket. However, he added that the selectors appear to have a different approach, and Suryakumar Yadav might also be relieved of his T20I captaincy following the 2026 T20 World Cup. He said:
“I think there is some directive that India doesn’t want to have different captains for the three formats. I believe his end might also be written (Speaking about Surya’s potential removal as T20I captain), maybe after the World Cup. Because these dynamics, I feel, are something the team management and selectors find difficult to cope with. And this seems to be the selectors’ mindset that having multiple captains makes it tough for the players.”
“I don’t agree with that view. I believe there is still a need to have different captains for different formats, or at least separate captains for white-ball and red-ball cricket. There’s no extra work required for that because both white-ball and red-ball teams have different visions, approaches, and preparations,” he added.
Meanwhile, Team India will return to action on Friday, October 10, when they host the West Indies for the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Shubman Gill has already led India in T20Is and Tests, but the upcoming Australia series will be his first experience of ODI captaincy. Shubman Gill has won three, lost two, and drawn one out of his six Tests as India captain so far. He will be leading for the first time in ODIs during the Australia tour. Team India’s white-ball tour of Australia will begin with the three ODIs on October 19. They will play five T20Is following the ODI series.
Also Read: ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball