Team India’s 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming Australian tour has become a highly debated topic ever since the official announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The white ball tour marks the return of India’s iconic batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, having played their last international game in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.
But, BCCI took the most shocking decision by sacking Rohit from the ODI captaincy role and appointed the test captain Shubman Gill to take over the responsibility in the 50-overs format as well.
Though Gill has the potential to become the new ODI skipper, has the BCCI taken this decision too early? Let’s dive deeper to find out the reasons behind the Indian cricket board’s move to replace India’s most successful ODI captain.
Age Factor Denying a Long-Term Opening Option
At the age of 38, Rohit Sharma’s power-hitting abilities have been exceptional. But the main question arises if the Hitman could play the next ODI World Cup in 2027, as he would be aged 40 by that time.
Despite playing a crucial role in the Champions Trophy 2025 final triumph against New Zealand, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his men haven’t viewed Hitman as a long-term opening option.
With the BCCI keen to build a young team for the next World Cup 2027, Rohit Sharma might likely announce his retirement soon.
Shubman Gill’s Recent Test Captaincy
BCCI’s decision to announce Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain came moments after India took a 1-0 lead in the 2-match test series against West Indies.
India’s massive win over the Windies at home by an innings and 140 runs showed the ruthless domination of the hosts under Gill’s captaincy.
Earlier, Gill’s maiden stint as test captain saw India achieve a hard-fought draw against England in the 5-match test series.
Here is what Ajit Agarkar had to say about Gill’s extra responsibility as an ODI and test captain:
“No! He is still young, and we have seen his abilities to perform under pressure in England tests. This is indeed a positive sign, and we shouldn’t consider it as a burnout,” the BCCI chief selector said.
A 2-Year Gap to the ODI World Cup 2027
Rohit Sharma, after retiring from tests and T20Is, is currently active in his ODI career. Also, Team India’s fixtures in the 50-over format include just 24 matches before the 2027 World Cup.
Perhaps, a two-year gap was too long for Rohit to survive in the cricketing world at this age, as he wouldn’t be able to get sufficient practice to maintain his form and fitness.
For instance, Team India played their last ODI match on March 09, 2025, triumphing in the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand. So, the team would play its next 50-over game on October 19. The 7-month gap shows the current challenge faced by the Indian cricket team right now.
In the modern era of cricket, even youngsters to lose their peak form at times. In such circumstances, the selectors didn’t consider Rohit (38 years) and Virat Kohli (36 years) due to the uncertainties in fitness levels.
Unlikely to Have 3 Captains for Different Formats
Soon after the ODI and T20I squads were revealed for the Australian tour, Ajit Agarkar attended the press conference and highlighted the importance of long-term planning.
The BCCI chief selector explained that it was a difficult decision to replace Rohit as Team India won the Champions Trophy 2025 under his leadership:
“See! Considering in terms of planning, it is tough to have three captains across different formats of international cricket. We are planning for the next World Cup.
Suppose India hadn’t won the Champions Trophy, it would have been more complicated. But you need to think about what is best for the team because it becomes tough in the one-day cricket format.
The conversation between Rohit and me was clear. He was informed about this decision in advance,” Agarkar said.
Does Test Cricket Form Reflect in ODIs Too?
Experts believed that a cricketer who performs well in test cricket can show the same level of intent in the abridged version of the format, such as the ODIs.
Rohit Sharma’s string of poor performances in the test series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia raises questions about his ability to maintain consistency with the bat in ODIs till the age of 40.
Also, he was able to score only 302 runs in 6 ODIs played this year, which includes a century and a half-century.
Hadn’t Rohit retired from the longest format, he could have made a stunning comeback in the tests as well as retained his captaincy in ODIs too.
Conclusion
To explain in simple terms, the age factor has been the only threat to Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy snub.
Few supported BCCI’s decision to groom a young leader across all formats. At the same time, several former cricketers questioned Ajit Agarkar’s illogical decision to retain Hitman solely as a batter in the ODI squad led by Shubman Gill.