The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a controversial decision recently to remove Rohit Sharma from the ODI captaincy ahead of the ODI World Cup 2027. Surprising many, they also announced that the player taking over the Indian cricket team as the new ODI captain will be Shubman Gill, who recently was given the responsibility of captaincy in the Test format and vice-captaincy in the T20I format of the game.
Reacting to this huge decision made by the Indian selectors, one of India’s cricketing legends Mohammad Kaif feels that the youngster Shubman Gill is being "overburdened" with multiple responsibilities way too early in his career and strongly expressed that Rohit Sharma should have been allowed to continue as the ODI captain
for India until the year 2027. Kaif expressed that everyone knew this change was due to be made soon but everyone expected it to come after the ODI World Cup 2027.
I feel everything is being done in a hurry: Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif, while reacting to the captaincy change on his YouTube channel, said, as per Indian Express, "My point is don’t overburden him. He (Shubman Gill) captains in Tests, bats at No. 4. He was made the vice-captain in the Asia Cup - will take over when Suryakumar Yadav steps aside. Now you’ve made him the ODI captain. I feel everything is being done in a hurry. A player never asks for captaincy. Everyone knows that he didn’t want it. You can’t demand it, but everyone seems to like him a lot and considers him a captain for the future. The selectors, including Ajit Agarkar, have put pressure on him."
Kaif further added, "He’s (Shubman Gill) getting all of it in a hurry. It could also lead to a loss. When you get so much in such a short time, it could backfire." Rohit Sharma is India’s most successful captain in the ODI format with a 75% winning rate having won 42 of 56 matches played amongst captains who have led the side for more than 50 matches. It will be interesting to see if this change will affect the performance of the team in the ODI World Cup 2027.
