In a decisive move signaling a major leadership transition, young batting sensation Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s One-Day International (ODI) captain on Saturday, replacing the incumbent Rohit Sharma. The change comes ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Australia, which commences on October 19, and is clearly positioned as a long-term strategy for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
The announcement was made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, who also confirmed the elevation of Shreyas Iyer as the team’s vice-captain. Iyer recently took a break from red-ball cricket to manage his workload.
Addressing the media, Agarkar stressed that the decision was driven by the need for early and sustained preparation for the next 50-over World Cup.
“Rohit Sharma has been communicated about change of captaincy. We don’t play too many ODIs and we needed to give the next guy enough time,” Agarkar stated. “How Rohit has taken the decision to change captain is between him and the selection committee.”
The chief selector acknowledged that replacing Rohit—who led India to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year in what was his final assignment as ODI captain—was a “tough call” and a “difficult decision.”
“Even if he had not won, it would have been a difficult decision. But sometimes you have to look forward, where you stand, interest of the team, etc. Tough call,” he added, emphasizing a move towards future stability.
Gill, who already captains the Test side and serves as vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, is now formally in a leadership role across all three formats, suggesting the 25-year-old is being primed as a potential all-format leader for the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have both been included in the 15-man squad for the Australia ODIs, marking their return to the format for the first time since the Champions Trophy final.
India’s ODI squad for Australia tour: Shubman Gill (Captain), 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.