On Saturday, October 4, the Indian selection committee announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia down under, starting later this month. In a major surprise,
the selectors decided to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, replacing veteran Rohit Sharma in the role just a few months after he led India to the ICC Champions Trophy title after defeating New Zealand in the final in Dubai earlier in the year.
The decision from the Indian selection committee brought about a huge uproar on social media with a big section of fans voicing their opinion that the removal of Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain is wrong. Although, in the press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the following about the Indian stalwart, “Both Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma are non committal about the 2027 World Cup.”
The ICC Cricket World Cup set to be played in South Africa is still two years away, and during that time, Rohit Sharma will be 40 years of age while Virat Kohli will be nearing 39 years of age. With that, the decision from their two players not to commit their future to the tournament seemingly put the BCCI in a precarious spot, and then, it must have forced them to make the call to remove Rohit Sharma from the ODI captaincy.
Ajit Agarkar hinted need for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play domestic cricket
Moreover, Ajit Agarkar hinted to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play in the 50-over domestic tournament called the Vijay Hazare Trophy for their respective state teams Mumbai and Delhi at the turn of the year since they won’t have international commitments during the season. The categoric remark from the Indian chief selector read, “We have made it clear that if guys are free they should be playing domestic cricket.”
At the same time, he also reiterated the importance of having Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian ODI setup by saying, “They have been doing for years, try and score runs. They are still leaders in the dressing room. The have been extremely successful in this format. This team has been picked for Australia, you don’t need to think too far.”
