The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, October 4 announced India’s 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia, set to be played later this month. While the squad saw the return of the two veterans - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in a shocking turn of events, Rohit Sharma was sacked from the captaincy role.
While this came a shock to many, it came despite the 38-year-old led India to two titles in a span of nine months and his excellent record in the 50-over format. In his place, the BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as the ODI skipper as India prepares for the ODI World Cup set to be played 2027.
Gill will be the captain in the 2027 ODI World Cup: Aakash Chopra believes
While this became the talk of the town, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra also deciphered this move. Speaking
on X, Chopra said that Gill's ODI captaincy marks the start of preparations for the 2027 World Cup. "Gill is the new captain of the Indian ODI team. He is already the captain in Tests, vice-captain in T20Is, and now the captain in ODIs. India were searching for an all-format captain and here it's almost like signed and delivered. The preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup has also begun. Gill will be the captain in the 2027 ODI World Cup," Chopra said.
While addressing Rohit Sharma's future in the format, Chopra added, "So what are the implications for Rohit Sharma? He has always played well, won the Champions Trophy as captain, and was player of the match in the final as well. But your name is first on the team sheet when you are the captain, and the team is prepared as per your thoughts. When you become just one of the players, all selection decisions are made in that context. How is your form? Of course, there's experience and pedigree, but the truth is that if you are no longer the captain, there's no guarantee that you will play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Keep scoring runs, but if there's a drought, then we don't know. This is the reality. Shubman Gill's era has formally started in Indian cricket."
It is to be noted that Rohit Sharma remains one of the most successful captains in the limited-overs alongside former India cricketer MS Dhoni. Under his leadership, India reached three white-ball finals and finished on the winning side in two of them - the T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy. As an ODI captain, Rohit led India in 56 matches, winning 42 and maintaining a winning percentage of 76.
