Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has voiced strong criticism against chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his committee, accusing them of “pressurising” Shubman Gill into taking over the ODI captaincy from Rohit Sharma. Kaif believes that this sudden transition could prove detrimental for both players — burdening Gill with excessive responsibility too soon, while cutting short Rohit’s influential leadership phase.
The leadership shift was announced during Agarkar’s press conference for the upcoming Australia tour, where India will play three ODIs. This will also mark Rohit’s first international appearance in months. Agarkar justified the decision by saying that splitting captaincy among multiple players was not ideal and emphasised the need to prepare Gill well ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Kaif, however, expressed disappointment over the timing of the move. “This was on expected lines, but I felt this would happen after the 2027 World Cup,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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“Gill has quality and has worked hard on his fitness. He could have easily played the 2027 World Cup under Rohit. But now, he’s been handed too much too soon. It could backfire. When you shoulder so much responsibility early, your performance might suffer,” he cautioned.
Gill, who recently replaced Rohit as Test captain, was also appointed T20I vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup, indicating his growing stature in Indian cricket. Kaif believes the selectors are overloading the young star.
“He’s captaining in Tests, batting at No. 4, vice-captaining in T20Is, and now leading in ODIs. Everything is happening in a rush. A player never asks for captaincy—it’s thrust upon him. I feel Ajit Agarkar and his team have pressurized him into it,” Mohammad Kaif added.
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Kaif also expressed sympathy for Rohit Sharma, calling his captaincy tenure “unfairly shortened.” “What wrong has Rohit Sharma done? It’s unfortunate that his captaincy didn’t even last four years. He was a great batter and a brilliant leader. Taking the captaincy away like this could impact his batting rhythm. When you snatch captaincy, it feels like taking away a player’s right hand,” Kaif concluded.
With Suryakumar Yadav’s form dipping and the T20 World Cup on the horizon, Kaif warned that Gill could soon find himself leading across all formats — a challenge even the best have struggled to manage.
