Ajit Agarkar Explains Decision To Ditch Rohit Sharma As ODI Captain: "It's Practically Impossible"

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a bold call on Saturday, announcing Shubman Gill as India's new ODI captain. 38-year-old Rohit Sharma, who led India to Champions Trophy 2025 glory, was moved away from any leadership role. The move makes Gill the captain of India in both Tests and ODIs, meaning that India no longer have three different captains across formats. BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar explained why it was necessary to shift from the previous strategy.

"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," Agarkar said in the squad announcement press conference.

Until recently, India had three captains in three formats - Gill in Tests, Rohit in ODIs and Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is.

"It's also a format which is played the least now. 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," Agarkar added.

India last played an ODI on March 9, 2025, which was the Champions Trophy 2025 final victory over New Zealand. India's next ODI will be on October 19, meaning that there will be a gap of more than seven months between the two matches.

Agarkar also implied that the 50-over World Cup in 2027 was also part of the long-term thinking while making the decision.

"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," Agarkar said.

Gill has impressed in his short career as India's Test captain so far. The 26-year-old - who became the youngest Indian Test skipper in the 21st century - led the team to a 2-2 Test series draw away from home in England earlier this year.

Agarkar also confirmed that Rohit Sharma's spot in the ODI setup isn't in danger as of now.

Topics mentioned in this article

Ajit Agarkar Rohit Sharma Shubman Gill India Cricket Team BCCI Cricket