Ajit Agarkar refuses to reveal Rohit Sharma's reaction after being told he was removed as India's ODI captain

Ajit Agarkar said the decision was communicated to Rohit Sharma before the official announcement, but declined to share the star’s reaction.

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Saturday ended all speculation about Rohit Sharma’s participation in the ODI leg of India’s upcoming Australia tour. In a move that was not entirely unexpected, the 37-year-old was removed as captain, with Shubman Gill named the new leader and Shreyas Iyer as his deputy. Agarkar said the decision was communicated to Rohit before the announcement, but declined to share the star’s reaction.

Shubman Gill has been named as India's new ODI captain

It was always a matter of when, not if, the selectors would move on from Rohit as India’s ODI leader after his exit from Test cricket in May. Speaking to the media after announcing the squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, which includes three ODIs and five T20Is, Agarkar said his committee saw no point in having three different captains across formats.

Gill, groomed for the role since being named ODI vice-captain earlier this year for the Champions Trophy, had already proven his leadership. On the recent tour of England, he not only delivered a record-breaking batting performance but also guided India to a 2-2 draw in his maiden assignment as captain in the format.

Agarkar explained: "Firstly, it's practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats. Just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some point, you have to start looking at where the next World Cup will be held. It's also a format which is played the least now. You don't get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy who doesn't have that much time to prepare himself or plan. We are two years away still.

"It might look like a long time, but we don't quite know how many one-day games we might take. Closer to the World Cup, we might end up playing a little bit more than what we have. The last one-day game we played was on March 8 or 9 in the Champions Trophy. The next one we play is in October. It is a bit of a challenge with one-day play at the moment. Of course, the focus has been on the T20 World Cup, but slowly we will start planning for that World Cup to come. As a plan, it gives the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games we have coming. It is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats. In terms of not just the selector, but more importantly, even for the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy."

When stressed, how Rohit reacted to the decision when it was communicated to him, the former India fast bowler stayed silent. He added: "That is a conversation between me and Rohit, but like I said, of course, it has been communicated to him."

Agarkar admitted it was always a difficult decision to move on from Rohit as a captain, especially after he led India to the ODI World Cup final in 2023 and then led the country to back-to-back ICC titles, including the Champions Trophy earlier this year. However, it explained that it was a forward-looking decision and that the selectors had to give his successor enough time to prove himself as a leader in the format.

"Even if he had not won the Champions Cup, it would have been a difficult decision. Because of how good he has been for India. But you have got to sometimes look at what's coming forward, where you stand as a team and eventually look at what's in the best interest of the team. Whether it's now or maybe six months later. Those are the calls that I suppose we have to put in place to make. Like I said, it's tough with one-day cricket at this point. Because if you are going to make that call, you want to try and make it reasonably early and give the other guy enough chance to try and get that confidence of leading another format. So, that was the idea. But it's always tough. Someone who has been very successful, you have to make that decision," he said.