BCCI sacked Rohit Sharma as India ODI Captain to protect 'team culture': Reports
The latest insight on India's newly stirred ODI debacle has made a staggering claim. The chief of BCCI's selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, announced the India squad for Australia Tour on Saturday, October 4. While the ODI squad confirmed the much-awaited return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it shockingly listed Shubman Gill as the captain. In the press conference following the major update on the India ODI captain, Agarkar rued that it's 'practically impossible' to have different captains across formats. While a transition was anticipated, the 'fast-tracking' has raised many questions about Rohit Sharma's spot for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup.
Removing Rohit Sharma as the India ODI captain was a calculated move made by Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar ahead of Australia Tour
Announcing the India squad for Australia Tour, Ajit Agarkar presented his take on some significant changes made by the BCCI in the ODI set-up. On the appointment of Shubman Gill as the India ODI captain, the chief selector had a simple view, signalling that the management is swiftly moving towards instating Gill as the all-format leader of India. However, Gill's appointment came at the cost of Rohit Sharma being removed in what seemed like an unceremonious manner.
Agarkar, furthermore, raised alarms over the participation of Rohit Sharma and even Virat Kohli in the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup. While Kohli and Rohit look forward to making their India return with the Australia Tour, Agarkar alleged that the seniors remain 'non-committal' about the marquee tournament scheduled two years away on the India cricket schedule.
Agarkar presented curt responses to the questions over the seniors' role in the ODI set-up with the 2027 ODI World Cup in view. However, reports emerging in the aftermath of BCCI's decision to remove Rohit from captaincy have made shocking revelations. A recent report has claimed that the board was skeptical about Rohit's influence in the dressing room. With Rohit's seniority and his presence in just one format, the board feared that the inconsistency would 'disrupt' the team culture.
"A player of Rohit's stature in a leadership role would have meant he would get to drive his philosophy in the dressing room. But with him playing only in ODIs, a format which is played the least, it could have disturbed the team culture," a BCCI source revealed in the report.
The latest update, furthermore, made significant claims about Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. The former Indian cricketer took over the role after Rahul Dravid exited following India's historic 2024 T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, according to the recent insight, it was not until India's humiliating defeat in the home Test series against New Zealand that Gambhir took the front seat in the team's proceedings.
"Gambhir had taken a back seat in Tests and ODIs in the first six months of his assignment, but the debacles against New Zealand and Australia prompted him to take charge more firmly," the source added.
About the captaincy swap in the India squad for the Australia Tour, it has been reported as a conscious and calculated decision taken by Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar. The chief selector and the Indian head coach are unsure whether both senior stalwarts can keep up their form two years from now for the 2027 ODI World Cup. In an attempt to mitigate a scenario where a dip in the forms of Kohli and Rohit Sharma coincides with the marquee tournament, the management has pressed the accelerator on the transition.
"It has been a collective effort by Gambhir and Agarkar. They understand that it will be tough for both Rohit and Kohli to be at their peak after two years, given that they are in their late 30s. They didn't want to be caught off guard if suddenly Rohit or Kohli's form dipped. It would have created chaos in the leadership group," the BCCI source said.
"The duo announcing retirement from Tests days before the selection for the England tour was a case in point. The team won the Champions Trophy and two Tests in England even without Bumrah," the source added.
