Mumbai: Indian selectors are expected to go with the same long-term vision with ODI captaincy as they did with Test leadership.
The next ODI World Cup is slated for October, 2027 by when Rohit Sharma, the current captain, would be 40. It is difficult to predict if he would last the distance in terms of form and fitness, and to avoid having three separate captains across formats – Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I skipper – the selectors are known to be inclined to hand over ODI leadership also to Gill.
Whether the move would be made right away would depend on how workload of the all-format players is spaced out in the lead up to the home T20 World Cup in February, 2026. Gill, 25, will be among them, and his show with the bat and as captain in the England Test series will also be assessed.
It’s unusual for Indian cricket to have a flux in the leadership group and the selectors want to address that. For the best part of the last ten years, captaincy across formats was held by Virat Kohli and then Rohit. Currently, Suryakumar is primarily seen as a T20I specialist. Rohit has quit T20Is and Tests. Rishabh Pant, the Test vice-captain, is not an automatic pick in the other formats. Gill too has work to do before he makes the T20I spot his own.
Currently, 12 ODIs are scheduled until next year’s T20 World Cup – the immediate priority. All those in a targetted group of players would be trialled under Suryakumar’s leadership. India’s next ODI series in Bangladesh in August is the yet to be confirmed. Then come three ODIs in Australia (Oct), and three each at home against South Africa (Nov-Dec) and New Zealand (Jan ‘26).
{{/usCountry}}Currently, 12 ODIs are scheduled until next year’s T20 World Cup – the immediate priority. All those in a targetted group of players would be trialled under Suryakumar’s leadership. India’s next ODI series in Bangladesh in August is the yet to be confirmed. Then come three ODIs in Australia (Oct), and three each at home against South Africa (Nov-Dec) and New Zealand (Jan ‘26).
{{/usCountry}}“Quite frankly, a lot of us thought Rohit wanted to move away from the ODI format after winning the Champions Trophy,” a BCCI official said. “There have been no discussions between Rohit and the selectors since over his ODI future.”
With regard to BCCI’s tribute to Rohit on X’ as he ended his Test career, which said he would continue to lead in ODIs, the board official said that was nothing more than a mention of the current status.
Rohit’s recent ODI batting template has been interesting. The 38-year-old has flipped a switch where he attacks in the Powerplay overs with the same intent as in T20Is. He was a hit in the 2023 ODI World Cup, in terms of strike rate as well as impact innings. But subsequently, sustaining such a tempo with any consistency has proved difficult.
More than his age, slowing reflexes in the field, and his having to constantly battle niggles – Rohit played the Champions Trophy with a hamstring niggle and the IPL mostly as Impact Player – haven’t inspired confidence.
Rohit has repeatedly made it clear that he has no plans to quit ODIs. “I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread going forward,” he said after winning the Champions Trophy final in March.
“I have retired from two formats, but I am still playing one format,” Rohit again said in May when he had a stand named after him at the Wankhede stadium. “When India plays whichever team here (in Mumbai), that’ll make it even more special.”
While the romantics would want India to have another crack at ODI Cup glory under Rohit after the agonising defeat in the final to Australia in the 2023 campaign, the selectors are likely to take a more pragmatic call.