In a significant leadership overhaul, Shubman Gill has been appointed India’s ODI captain, taking over from Rohit Sharma. This decision comes ahead of the upcoming series against Australia.
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that the move was “practically impossible” to avoid, emphasizing the necessity of consolidating leadership across formats for long-term planning.
Speaking at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Agarkar highlighted the strategic importance of this change, especially with the 2027 World Cup in sight.
“It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats in terms of planning. You’ve got to start planning. You also play it [ODIs] the least. We are two years away [2027 World Cup]. We don’t play as many games. It is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket. The focus has been on the T20 World Cup. We will surely start planning for the ODI World Cup. It gives the next guy enough time,” Agarkar stated.
Gill, at 26, is already India’s Test captain and will now also lead the ODI team. He will serve as vice-captain in T20Is under Suryakumar Yadav.
Addressing potential concerns about burnout for the young Punjab-born batter, Agarkar remarked: “Hopefully not. Still quite young. We saw what he did in England under immense pressure. Really positive signs there. We hope there’s no burnout. As team management, we try to manage it as best as possible. You’ve also got to give the guy enough time. He’s been the vice-captain in the ODI format for a while now. That’s how it works.”
Rohit Sharma, who recently led India to a third Champions Trophy title, was reportedly informed of the captaincy change. Agarkar commented, “We don’t play too many ODIs and we need to give the next guy enough time. How Rohit has taken the decision to change captain is between him and the selection committee.”
India’s three-match ODI series against Australia commences on October 19, followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8.
India’s ODI squad for Australia tour
- Shubman Gill (Captain)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain)
- Axar Patel
- KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Harshit Rana
- Mohammed Siraj
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prasidh Krishna
- Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
India’s T20I squad:
- Suryakumar Yadav (Captain)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain)
- Tilak Varma
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel
- Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper)
- Varun Chakaravarthy
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Harshit Rana
- Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper)
- Rinku Singh
- Washington Sundar