With an Impeccable Winning Record of 75%, Some Experts Reckon Sharma as one of the Finest ODI Indian captains

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In a shocking claim, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has revealed that Shubman Gill didn’t want the captaincy and it wasn’t Rohit Sharma’s choice to give it up either. BCCI ‘snatched’ the role from Rohit, with Ajit Agarkar and selectors pushing Gill to accept the job, alleges Kaif. 

Excess Load on Gill

Some strong words came from Mohammad Kaif after the BCCI replaced Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill as India's new ODI captain.

"This was on expected lines, but I felt this would happen after the 2027 World Cup. The guy has quality, and he's also worked on his fitness. He had a realistic chance of playing the 2027 World Cup. However, the load falls on Gill. He's getting all of it in a hurry. It could also lead to a loss. When you get so much in such a short time, it could backfire," Kaif said in a video posted on his official YouTube channel.

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"My point is don't overburden him. He captains in Tests, bats at No. 4. He was made the vice-captain in the Asia Cup - will take over when Suryakumar Yadav steps aside. Now you've made him the ODI captain. I feel everything is being done in a hurry,” claimed Kaif.

Did BCCI Force Gill over ODI Captaincy?

The famous Indian fielder and middle-order batsman feels “A player never asks for captaincy. Everyone knows that he didn't want it. You can't demand it, but everyone seems to like him a lot and considers him a captain for the future. The selectors, including Ajit Agarkar, have pressured him."

“What wrong has Rohit Sharma done?”

"What wrong has Rohit Sharma done? It's very unfortunate that we didn’t get a long captaincy run from Rohit. Not even 4 years. A great batter, an outstanding leader and as captain, he could have had an even more impressive captaincy record. When you snatch captaincy, I feel that a player loses his right hand," mentioned Kaif.

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Sharma’s Impact as a Player

Having known Rohit a long time and aware of how he functions, Kaif reckons the 38-year-old will no longer be the same. In Kaif's words, Rohit's batting, which will resume from the three-match series against Australia starting October 19, is guaranteed to be affected.

“Rohit Sharma, the opener and the leader, went hand-in-hand. Rohit doesn't score 100s in each match, but in big matches – 76 in the Champions Trophy final. He will now be judged match by match, series by series. It's an even playing field for everyone. I'm not sure whether he even wants to play now."

Did BCCI Inform Rohit?

Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Rohit was informed about the decision, but did not elaborate on the details of the conversation, leaving it entirely to speculation. Reportedly, "Rohit had been informed about the decision some time ago and not on Saturday."

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During the press conference for the announcement of the white-ball squads for the Australia tour, Agarkar was asked how Rohit reacted to the decision when it was communicated to him. The former India allrounder and now chief selector said: "That is a conversation between me and Rohit, but like I said, of course, it has been communicated to him."

However, Agarkar admitted that it was “indeed a difficult call to move on from Rohit, given his stellar captaincy record in white-ball cricket”. 

Rohit Sharma’s Historic Records

The Indian opener won 42 matches out of 56 as an ODI captain. Meanwhile, Sharma lost only one game in the format across two back-to-back ICC tournaments - the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. Despite remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament and winning the Champions Trophy, Agarkar reckoned the decision to remove him from captaincy was “inevitable”.

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BCCI removed Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain and replaced him with Shubman Gill, but the reactions from analysts to fans continue to pour in. Will fans see Rohit Sharma opening innings with Gill in the 2027 World Cup? Only time will tell.