The Indian selectors have officially handed the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill, marking a significant transition from Rohit Sharma. This strategic move, confirmed by Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, is part of a long-term vision to prepare Gill for the 2027 World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Agarkar acknowledged the challenging nature of replacing a player of Rohit’s stature but stressed the importance of forward planning, especially given the limited number of One-Day Internationals played annually. This development comes as Ravindra Jadeja, despite his recent ‘Player of the Match’ performance in the Ahmedabad Test, found himself omitted from the ODI squad for the upcoming Australia series, raising questions about his long-term role given his T20I retirement and the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from both Tests and T20Is.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar openly addressed the leadership change, acknowledging the immense difficulty in replacing a captain of Rohit Sharma’s caliber. ‘That’s a conversation between Rohit and me,’ Agarkar stated, refraining from detailing their private discussions. He emphasized that the decision, regardless of any specific tournament outcomes like the Champions Trophy, was driven by the team’s future interests. ‘You’ve got to sometimes look at what’s coming forward, where you stand as a team, and eventually look at what’s in the best interest of the team, whether it’s now or maybe six months later. Those are the calls that I suppose we are put in place to make here,’ Agarkar elaborated.
The former Indian all-rounder underscored the scarcity of ODI matches in the current cricketing calendar, making early captaincy transitions crucial for player development. ‘It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats in terms of planning. You’ve got to start planning. You play the ODI format the least. We have to try and give the other guy enough chance to get that confidence of leading another format,’ he added, highlighting the need to nurture new leadership.
While Agarkar implied that selections for the Australia tour don’t guarantee spots for the 2027 World Cup, he was firm about the expectations from senior players. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to actively participate in domestic cricket. ‘That is the only way you can remain sharp, by playing cricket. We have been clear over the last two years that if you are available, you are expected to play in domestic cricket,’ Agarkar asserted.
Regarding Ravindra Jadeja’s absence from the ODI squad for Australia, Agarkar clarified that the conditions Down Under did not necessitate two left-arm spinners, especially with Axar Patel already in the team.
**India’s ODI squad for the 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.