The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee announced the decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain on Saturday, when the squad for the limited-overs tour of Australia was named. The announcement left many in the cricketing sphere perplexed, wondering what Rohit Sharma had done wrong to be removed as the team’s skipper. While the selection committee chief, Ajit Agarkar, explained some reasons behind the move, he also hinted that Rohit’s guarantee in the team’s future ODI plans was lacking. The same uncertainty applies to Virat Kohli, who, like Rohit, remains an active player only in one-day international cricket.

The 2027 World Cup Strategy

A report in the Times of India claimed that informal, yet crucial, discussions within the BCCI, selection committee, and team management circles led to a blueprint for the 2027 World Cup. Many suggested that Gill should be installed as the captain in the 50-over format.

The biggest challenge in this transition was managing Rohit Sharma, who had just led India to the Champions Trophy title and maintained strong form in white-ball cricket. Some argued that the two-year gap to the World Cup was too long, and since Rohit is restricted to only ODI cricket, he would not receive sufficient match practice.

Despite this, Rohit continued to meet all fitness requirements, but his lack of recent game time-a point hinted at by Ajit Agarkar during a press conference on Saturday-was a decisive factor. His last competitive match was in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians (MI), and his last international outing was the Champions Trophy final.

Assessing the Veterans

The report further claims that opinions were divided initially due to Rohit’s history as one of India’s most successful white-ball captains. However, as the Australia tour approached, the divide began to diminish, with most of the top brass agreeing on the change.

What is a little surprising is that both Rohit and Virat Kohli were being assessed similarly for the ODI format, despite a two-year age gap and the difference in their fitness levels.

As per the report, the reasoning was: “If we keep dragging things, it will only get complicated. And with two players, one 38 (Rohit) and other 36 (Kohli), you can’t place the early bets. Yes, even the younger ones could lose form and fitness but it’s the safer bet.”

While both Rohit and Virat are part of the three-match ODI series against Australia, neither of them is a certainty in the format for the future, especially as the BCCI looks to solidify its plans for the ODI World Cup 2027.