India chief selector Ajit Agarkar has explained the decision to make Shubman Gill the new ODI captain aa he replaced World Cup winning captain Rohit Sharma. He said it was a “difficult” choice but necessary for the team’s future.
Agarkar pointed out that the ODI format is played less in the current schedule. With the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia still two years away, the selectors wanted to give Gill enough time to prepare as a leader.
“Firstly, it’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some stage, you’ve got to start looking at where the next World Cup is. It’s also a format which is played the least now,” Agarkar said after announcing India’s squad.
A Difficult Transition for Team India under Shubman Gill
Ajit Agarkar said it was important to plan ahead even if India will not play many ODIs in the near future.
“So, you don’t get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy, that much time to prepare himself or plan. And we’re two years away still. That might look like a long time, but we don’t quite know how many one-day games we might play. Closer to the World Cup, we might end up playing a little bit more than what we have. But the last one-day game we played was, what, 8th or 9th March in Champions Trophy. And the next one we play is in October 19th,” he said.
He admitted it was not easy to replace Rohit Sharma.
“So, it is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket at the moment. Of course, the focus has been on T20 World Cup. But surely we’ll start planning for that World Cup to come. So as a plan, it gives the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games that we have coming. And it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats.
“In terms of not just selectors, but more importantly, even for the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy,” he added.
Agarkar confirmed Rohit Sharma was informed about the decision but did not reveal his reaction.
“I mean, that’s a conversation between me and Rohit. Or us (selectors) and Rohit. But, of course, it’s been communicated,” he said.
Rohit’s ODI captaincy ended on a high note with India’s Champions Trophy 2025 victory. He won 42 out of 56 ODIs as captain, with a win percentage of 75.
