Why BCCI decided to pull the plug on Rohit Sharma’s India ODI captaincy: Ajit Agarkar's plan was to...

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar explains the decision to remove Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain and give the reigns to Shubman Gill.

We all knew it was coming, but no one could have predicted it would happen so soon. But it's here. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, took the tough call of pulling the plug on Rohit Sharma's captaincy tenure. Winning the Champions Trophy just eight months earlier played no role as the 38-year-old was removed as the ODI captain, as the baton was passed over to Shubman Gill. Ever since Gill took over as the Test captain following Rohit's retirement from Tests, it was a matter of time before the 26-year-old took charge of the ODI team as well.

Rohit Sharma removed as ODI captain; Shubman Gill named the new skipper. (AFP)

Considering the powers within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have always wanted one captain, irrespective of the format. Gill has quickly emerged as the next poster boy of Indian cricket, and hence, it's no surprise that the management, led by coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, opted to have a change of guard this soon, keeping an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup, set to be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The decision was taken by Agarkar in tandem with head coach Gambhir and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. Speaking at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Agarkar confirmed that Rohit had been informed about the decision. However, the chief selector remained tight-lipped about the future of Virat and Rohit, as he refrained from commenting when asked whether the duo would play in the 2027 World Cup.

Agarkar, the former India pacer, also said that it is almost impractical to have three different captains in three different formats; hence, the decision to have Gill as the ODI captain was taken.

"That's the format they (Virat and Rohit) are at the moment playing, we picked them as far as the 2027 World Cup is concerned. I don't think we need to talk about it today. Obviously, with the captaincy change, that's generally the thought," Agarkar told reporters.

"A couple of things, really. Firstly, it's practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some stage, you have to start looking at where the next World Cup will be; it's also a format that is played the least now. So you don't get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy, that much time to prepare himself or plan," he added.

'Decision to remove Rohit was hard'

The chief selector did not reveal how Rohit reacted to the development of the captaincy being taken away from him; however, he did say that the decision to have a change of guard was very hard.

It is worth noting that in India's most recent ODI assignment, the side won the Champions Trophy under the captaincy of Rohit.

“Even if he had not won the Champions Trophy, it would have been a difficult decision because of how good he's been for India. But you've 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 you have to make. Like I said, it's tough with one-day cricket at this point,” said Agarkar.

“Because if you're 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. That was the idea, but it's always tough. Someone who's been very successful, you have to make that decision,” he added.

Agarkar also provided insight into the management's thought process, stating that they wanted to give Gill the maximum number of games to find his footing as the ODI captain, which led to the decision made ahead of the Australia series.

"he plan was to give the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games that we have coming, and it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats, in terms of not just selectors but more importantly, even for the coach to plan with three different people is never easy," said Agarkar.