Shubman Gill appointed India’s new ODI captain ahead of Australia tour
India’s cricket leadership entered a new chapter as the BCCI officially named Shubman Gill the ODI captain for the upcoming three-match series against Australia, beginning October 19 in Perth. The move marks a major shift in the team’s long-term planning, with selectors viewing Gill as the leader to guide India through to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
The decision was finalized during a selection meeting chaired by Ajit Agarkar, following what Cricbuzz reported was a detailed discussion between the selectors and Rohit Sharma regarding the future of the ODI captaincy. The committee decided on a transition in leadership while retaining Rohit in the squad as a senior player alongside Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer was named Gill’s deputy for the series.
The change comes after Rohit led India to two ICC titles—the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy—and a World Cup final appearance at home in 2023. Despite that success, the selectors indicated the move was made to give Gill enough time to grow into the role ahead of the next World Cup cycle.
Despite widespread speculation about his future following the Champions Trophy win, Rohit made it clear that he intends to continue in the ODI format.
“I am not retiring from this format,” Rohit Sharma said after India’s Champions Trophy win, in press remarks carried in multiple reports.
Harbhajan Singh says decision to replace Rohit came as a “shock”
Reacting to the news, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh told JioHotstar he was surprised by the selectors’ decision and felt Rohit deserved one more series as captain.
“Congratulations to Shubman Gill. Obviously, he has been leading the team well in Test cricket, and now he’s been given another responsibility: to lead the ODI side as well. Of course, Rohit has been replaced as captain by Shubman, and Rohit is someone who holds a very good record in white-ball cricket,” Harbhajan said.
“To be honest, it’s a bit of a shock for me to see Rohit not being the captain. If you’re selecting Rohit Sharma, select him as captain, because he just recently won you the ICC Champions Trophy.”
Harbhajan went on to emphasize that the decision may have been premature. “Rohit has been one of the pillars of Indian cricket when it comes to white-ball formats. I think he should have been given at least this tour. If the selectors are thinking about the 2027 ODI World Cup, it’s still far away.”
He added that Gill’s time would come but believed the transition could have been delayed. “Shubman has a lot of time to grow into the role of ODI captain. I’m happy for Shubman; he’s got this opportunity, but it could have been delayed a little. He could have waited six to eight months or even a year before taking over.”
“I’m happy for Shubman, but at the same time, I’m a bit disappointed for Rohit Sharma not being the captain,” Harbhajan said.
The former off-spinner praised Rohit’s consistency as a batter and his leadership within the dressing room. “If you look at Rohit’s ODI record, he’s averaging almost close to 50. That shows how consistent he’s been and what he brings to the table as an opener. There’s no doubt about his performances and his approach when it comes to playing for India.”
“He’s been a phenomenal player, and that will not change. He will continue to bat the way he always has and continue to be a leader in the team, irrespective of whether he’s captain or not. He’ll keep giving advice to Shubman or anyone else whenever needed.”
“As a batter, Rohit won’t change his approach. He’ll remain as fearless as ever, and so will Virat Kohli. These two top players will continue to drive Indian cricket forward, and we’re all looking forward to seeing them win matches for Team India.”
Harbhajan also expressed satisfaction at Shreyas Iyer’s appointment as vice-captain, calling him one of the most underrated contributors in the squad. “He’s one of those guys who hardly gets the credit he deserves. We talk about that World Cup in India, he scored back-to-back centuries, and with what pace! He’s an impact player; when he gets going, he makes things easy for the dressing room and the other batters.”
“I’m very happy that he’s back in the scheme of things, not just as a player but with a bigger responsibility as vice-captain. I’m looking forward to seeing him back and to see what he brings to the table in terms of ideas and how he and Shubman Gill take this team forward.”
Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel applaud Rohit’s leadership legacy
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik shared a heartfelt message for Rohit Sharma on Instagram, thanking him for his leadership and influence on the team’s success.
“Rohit Sharma. Thank you so much. You were a phenomenal captain tactically astute, but most importantly, very, very friendly and got along with everyone and made them feel so comfortable. But for me, the legacy that you’ve left as a captain. In those big moments, those big matches, you taught this current team what it takes to win,” Karthik wrote.
“At times we used to take the backwards step, but you said, ‘I think we need to press forward, put more pressure on the opponent, take more risks, and you didn’t leave it to anyone else.’ ‘I think you started it with the bat when, in the big matches, you said, ‘I’m going to go harder,’ and that required skill. You got it done and you did it consistently. In the last 3 multi-nation tournaments that we have played, India has lost just one game.”
“2024 T20 World Cup campaign unbeaten, Champions Trophy unbeaten. 2023, just that final. That is outstanding. And even after that you can see the after effects. Asia Cup unbeaten with a young team. That is what you’ve given this team India.”
“You’ve left it in a better place than what it was when you started, and that’s always a great sign of a leader,” he added.
Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel, as quoted in multiple reports, said the decision to replace Rohit was a “progressive call” rather than a reflection of his performance. “Replacing Rohit Sharma as captain has nothing to do with Rohit Sharma’s performance as a captain. We have seen how well he has led the side, be it Champions Trophy, be it the 50-over World Cup. He has always been a visionary captain, especially after what happened in the T20 World Cup against England. He had to start giving that kind of approach to the team, the attacking approach.”
“You have to lead from the front. You have to be fearless and Rohit Sharma was the one who said, I will be the first one to lead and if I get out, that’s fine. But I want everyone to play the way I am playing and that is the reason why Indian cricket is in the state in white-ball cricket that it is in right now.”
Agarkar explains captaincy change and team selection
While announcing the squads at the press conference, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar explained the reasoning behind Gill’s appointment and the wider strategy for the ODI format.
“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. 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. It might look like a long time, but we don’t quite know how many one-day games we might take. 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 on October 19. So, it is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket at the moment,” Agarkar said.
“Of course, the focus has been on T20 World Cup. But slowly 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.
When asked whether Gill could face burnout given his workload, Agarkar replied, “Hopefully not. I mean, he’s still quite young. I mean, we saw what he did in England under immense pressure. So, there were really positive signs there. You’ve seen his record in one-day cricket as a batter. We hope there’s no burnout. It is true there’s a lot of cricket coming thick and fast over the next few months in particular. I mean, him particularly, but the team management as well. We’ll try and manage it as best as we can. But we also want to, like I said, give the guy enough time to try and prepare going into that next World Cup, which is 24 months away, but may not be that many games. So, we want to give him the best possible chance.”
He also addressed Ravindra Jadeja’s omission and the rotation of senior bowlers. “With regards to Jaddu, I mean, look at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He’s clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is. But there will be some competition for places. It’s not that he’s… Of course, he was there in the Champions Trophy squad but because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there, at the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep [Yadav] there as well.”
Elaborating further on Ravindra Jadeja’s omission, Agarkar clarified that the decision was purely based on conditions in Australia and team balance, not on the all-rounder’s ability.
“And I don’t think we would need more than that in Australia (as far as) spin (is concerned). But he’s clearly in the scheme of things, Jaddu, with how good he is, what he offers us as a batter and a bowler, but particularly in the field as well. So, it’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he’s missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”
Expanding on workload management for Jasprit Bumrah and other senior quicks, Agarkar said:
“We’ve already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, there was a month and a half or close to that five weeks or something since that Manchester Test that he played. There is always a plan. Wherever you can give him a break, you will.
Because we all know how important he is. But we’ve also got to see what’s in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he’s always available. But we will look after not just him. Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who do play Test cricket who will end up having a lot of bowling to do. So we will try and manage all the seniors so that we minimise the risk of injuries,”
Agarkar admitted it was a tough call to remove Rohit. “Even if he did not win the Champions Trophy as captain, it would have been a difficult decision because of how good he’s been for India. But 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.”
When asked about his conversation with Rohit, he said, “That’s a conversation between Rohit and me.”
Agarkar reiterated that long-term planning is still in its early stages. “As far as the 27 World Cup is concerned, I don’t think we need to talk about it today.”
He concluded by emphasizing the need for senior players to remain match-ready. “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.”
India’s squad for Australia tour
The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has announced India’s squad for the upcoming Australia tour, which will feature a three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20I series. The ODI leg will begin on October 19 in Perth, with the remaining matches scheduled for October 23 in Adelaide and October 25 in Melbourne.
ODI squad:
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
T20I squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Agarkar explained that the squad was selected with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind and that workload management for senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah was a key factor in the decisions. The chairman of selectors also emphasized the importance of maintaining team balance and preparing Shubman Gill for long-term leadership responsibilities.
Aaron Finch backs Gill but expects close series against Australia
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch, speaking to ICC Digital from Colombo, predicted an evenly matched ODI series but leaned slightly in favour of his home side.
“It will be a great series. It always is against India and I think having Virat back in there brings out the best in him against Australia,” Finch said.
“It’s always a great battle when you look at it on paper as it’s very evenly matched, but I’d say Australia (win the series) 2-1. Not confidently though as India are a great side and it will just be a great series to watch.”
Finch also backed Gill’s leadership credentials. “Shubman has already shown what a good leader he is in T20 cricket and Test cricket, so I’m sure this will be no different,” he said.
“I think just having those guys there will be a real calmness for him as well, because it’s the ability to bounce ideas, both on and off the field, on how you want the team to function going forward.”
