The India squad for ODI series against Australia was announced and one of the most shocking decisions that came in was that Shubman Gill was made the ODI captain of India replacing Rohit Sharma. This decision has left many cricket experts and fans confused as to why Sharma’s captaincy was taken away ahead of 2027 ODI World Cup.
Following this, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his opinion and mentioned about Rohit Sharma’s accomplishments. He said that there was no need to give everything together to Gill, his time would have come eventually. But for Rohit Sharma, he deserved one more year as captain for 2027 ODI World Cup.
“Rohit Sharma gave India 16 years, but we couldn’t give him even one. As captain, he has won 15 out of 16 ICC events, losing one match, the 2023 final. The Champions Trophy was the last match of 2025, he was the player of the match and won the trophy. He will also win the 2024 World Cup,”
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“Rohit showed magnanimity and retired after winning the World Cup because now, he wanted to give chance to new players, he himself stepped down. He stayed out of the limelight for a few days, and then some players came and his captaincy was gone.
“There is an example in India that as long as your time is there, you should continue it, but Rohit did not do that. He taught many players everything, but we removed him from the captaincy of the 2027 World Cup. We could not give him one year.”
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At this point, it’s evident that to be considered for a spot in the 2027 World Cup team, Rohit will need to perform consistently with the bat. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar has remained silent so far on long-term strategies and whether the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli are still included in the plans, but all indications suggest a change of generation is on the cards.
“The captain who gave us two ICC trophies in eight months has now been replaced by Shubman Gill. Gill is young and new and can be a good captain, but why rush into everything? Why give a flying start? His time will come but now it was Rohit’s time.” Kaif concluded
