Star India batter Rohit Sharma has been replaced from the ODI captaincy duties as the BCCI didn’t want the team culture to get disturbed, according to a report. On Saturday, Test captain Shubman Gill was named the ODI captain of the team, replacing Rohit ahead of the three-match series against Australia later this month. On the decision to remove Rohit, BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that it was ‘practically impossible’ to have three different captains across formats as well.
However, a report in the Times of India (TOI) has also claimed that the selectors didn’t want Rohit Sharma to dictate things his own way.
“A player of Rohit’s stature in a leadership role would have meant he would get to drive his philosophy in the dressing room. But with him playing only in ODIs, a format which is played the least, it could have disturbed the team culture,” the Times of India quoted a BCCI source as saying.
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The report also revealed that Gautam Gambhir didn’t come in front in his first six months as head coach and only started interfering in team matters after the Test series defeats to New Zealand (home) and Australia (away) as well.
“Gambhir had taken a back seat in Tests and ODIs in the first six months of his assignment, but the debacles against New Zealand and Australia prompted him to take charge more firmly,” the source added.
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will now be playing under Shubman Gill’s captaincy in Australia. While it is not clear whether they would be able to stick around till the 2027 ODI World Cup, Gambhir and Agarkar didn’t want to face a situation where their form suddenly “dipped.”
“It has been a collective effort by Gambhir and Agarkar. They understand that it will be tough for both Rohit and Kohli to be at their peak after two years, given that they are in their late 30s. They didn’t want to be caught off guard if suddenly Rohit or Kohli’s form dipped. It would have created chaos in the leadership group,” the BCCI source said. “The duo announcing retirement from Tests days before the selection for the England tour was a case in point. The team won the Champions Trophy and two Tests in England even without Bumrah.”
