Test cricket was one of the first things to be surrendered by Rohit Sharma in the middle of last year. It was subsequently the end of his T20I role in early 2024. But the shakeup in the ODI captaincy was quite unexpected, at least according to the prevailing flow of thought; it was quite sure that Sharma would continue leading into the ODI World Cup of 2027 as India looks for redemption after a heartbreak from the previous edition.
Yet in this bubble, Shubman Gill was the new temporary captain for the ODI series against Australia, which set out a longer-term goal. It looked even more surprising as Sharma had led India in the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph earlier in the year.
Something very ASD-like was revealed by former Indian cricketer and ex-Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate with Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary.
Speaking with Sportstak, Tiwary recounted his words, “I don’t see the main cause. The person Ajit Agarkar is. He’s a personality. He is a decision-maker. He will push for it hard when it comes to making a move. Now, whether he was influenced or someone is using him to shoot on his shoulder at the opportunity is of course something that needs be discussed. A lot of incidents happen behind the curtain, and you could relate person A with B.” (word to paraphrase for a moment). Perhaps such a decision needs to be put forward by the chief selector whereas the same coach could have very well advocated for it where the decision fell through…both would be equally responsible.
Rohit Sharma will be a part of 2027 ODI World Cup for sure? Nevertheless, there are rumors about Rohit’s participation in South Africa for the ICC event, but he has not only been in India’s ODI plans to date but also has been showing his batting prowess.
The aggressive opener was the leading run-getter in the three-match ODI leg during the Australia tour, scoring 202 runs at a phenomenal average of 101 with 1 hundred and 1 fifty. Again, in the home series with the Proteas, he was among the runners-up with two fifties in three innings and was one of the top five scorers.
In the current series versus the Kiwis, Rohit has not been able to convert his starts into big scores but he will get an opportunity to score big when the third and final decider match will take place with the winner of the series on January 18.
Download the CricInformer app
Take CricInformer with you. Get our app for cricket news and updates on your phone.