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, 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, 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 has been training in Mumbai under the guidance of former assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, while Kohli has been preparing in London.
Ajit Agarkar explains the reason of handling Shubman Gill the captaincy over Rohit Sharma
Ajit Agarkar’s press conference was concise and left little room for speculation regarding the decision taken on Saturday.
When asked why the selectors had moved on from Rohit Sharma, Agarkar shed light on the challenges of managing three different captains for the senior national side. Gill was appointed Test captain in June, while Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead the T20I team.
“It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for the three formats in terms of planning and consistency. At some stage, you also have to look ahead to the next World Cup,” Agarkar said.
The former fast bowler further explained that India are unlikely to play many ODIs in the next two years, making it important to give Gill time to grow into the role if he is to lead at the 2027 World Cup.
“One-day cricket is the format played the least, which means there aren’t many opportunities to give the next captain time to prepare. We are two years away from the World Cup – that might seem like a long time, but the number of ODIs between now and then will be limited. You might get a few closer to the tournament, but the schedule is uncertain.
For instance, the last ODI we played was in March, and the next one isn’t until October 19. That shows the challenge we face with one-day cricket at the moment.
“Yes, the immediate focus has been on the T20 World Cup, but gradually we will shift attention to ODIs. The plan is to give the new captain as much time as possible with the games we do have. Having three different captains across formats is not only difficult for the selectors but also makes it challenging for the coach to plan effectively with three different leaders.”
Ajit Agarkar also made it clear that there had been transparent communication with Rohit Sharma before appointing Gill as captain.
“Yes, Rohit has been communicated with,” he confirmed, though he declined to share details of how the former captain responded.
Agarkar did not shy away from acknowledging that moving past Rohit was not an easy decision. He admitted that it would have been difficult even without Rohit’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year.
“Even if he had not won the Champions Trophy, this would still have been a difficult decision because of how good he has been. But sometimes you have to look ahead – at what lies ahead for the team, where you stand as a unit, and ultimately what is best for the side.
“Whether it’s now or six months later, these are the kind of calls we inevitably have to make. As I said, it’s tough. But if you are going to make such a decision, it is better to do so early, so that the new captain has enough time to settle into the role and lead in another format.”
When asked if the succession plan had been long in the making, Agarkar pointed out that Gill had already been Rohit’s deputy during the Champions Trophy. He added that Gill’s debut as Test captain during the challenging tour of England further strengthened his case.Still after such a press conference, Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth slammed the Indian management for removal of Rohit Sharma from the role as Indian skipper.
It is unfair on Rohit Sharma- Kris Srikkanth
Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth wondered if the team management had prior conversations with Rohit Sharma before his removal as the ODI captain ahead of the white-ball tour of Australia. In a stunning development, India moved away from Rohit and appointed Shubman Gill as the ODI skipper while announcing the squad for the upcoming Australian series.
Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, Rohit’s last appearance for India came in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The 38-year-old led India to glory in the tournament, while top-scoring in their run chase in the final against New Zealand.
Reacting to Rohit Sharma’s removal as ODI captain on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said :
“They should have told him beforehand in that case. But whether they have or not is unknown. They already prepared him for this by indirectly stripping him of captaincy and a spot in Tests. But it is unfair on Rohit Sharma in some ways even if they are building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. Not fair, absolutely not fair.”
He continued:
“He has won you the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Probably his dream was to win the ODI World Cup because he missed it last time in 2023. So he would have planned to win the 2027 World Cup as captain and then retire. But they’ve finished those hopes, bad luck to Rohit.”
Kris Srikkanth called it disrespectful to Rohit if he was stripped of captaincy without prior conversations.
“Such conversations should have happened before itself with the management informing him about their plans to groom Gill as the captain. If they have spoken to him and preempted Rohit Sharma, then it’s not bad. When you have such a senior cricketer like Rohit Sharma, you have to talk to them personally and give them their respect,” he said.
“He has done so much so he must be given the respect. And if he wanted to lead after the conversation, the first right of refusal should be given to him. Actually it’s disrespectful. Unless Ajit Agarkar and the other selectors have spoken to him already. Then it’s fair enough. Whether they have or not, we cannot judge,” added Srikkanth.
Rohit Sharma boasts the best winning percentage in ODIs among Indian captains to have led in at least 10 matches at 75 percent. The Men in Blue have won 42 out of their 56 ODIs under him.Kris Srikkanth believes handing Shubman Gill the captaincy in Tests was a signal that Rohit Sharma was slowly being phased out from the leadership group. Ahead of the Test series in England, Rohit announced his retirement from the format, leading to Gill’s appointment as India’s red-ball skipper.
“It’s pretty surprising. But there were indications of Rohit Sharma possibly getting phased out once they handed Shubman Gill the Test captaincy before the England series. But I thought, having led India to the Champions Trophy title, he’ll be the captain for the 2027 ODI World Cup. But by making Gill the vice-captain for the T20 Asia Cup also, they are grooming him as the all-format captain,” said Srikkanth.
He concluded:
“On one hand, it seems like the right decision moving forward in white-ball cricket. Australians occasionally do this. In all fairness, Shubman Gill is a fantastic ODI player and he can learn a lot from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli while they are there. I feel they would have made this move with that in mind. But to me it is surprising.”
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.
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