Shreyas Iyer leads the race as BCCI eyes a captaincy overhaul in ODIs

Another significant overhaul is on the horizon for the Indian Cricket Team. The team recently stepped into a new era in the longer format of the sport. After etching his name as a modern-day great for India, Virat Kohli abruptly announced his retirement from red-ball cricket, his favorite format. Days before Kohli's announcement, Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma had bid his adieu as well. The closely followed retirements of two of the most crucial members of the Indian Test Cricket Team forced a new phase ahead of the WTC cycle. Now, as Shubman Gill gears up to handle the white threads, another format is looking forward to moving on to a new leader.

Rohit Sharma likely to be replaced as the ODI captain of India

When Rohit Sharma dropped himself from the Sydney Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian skipper had remained confident in his ability to make a comeback in the format. However, the BGT is now etched as the last series of his Test career. The circumstances that led to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announcing their retirements right at the cusp of the new WTC cycle remain under wraps. However, the signs are clear to read and indicate the board's interest in onboarding a new captain. Shubman Gill has now been given the charge to lead the India squad in Tests, with his tenure slated to start from June 20 with the India vs England Test series.

Now, latest reports suggest that the BCCI is keen on bringing a similar overhaul in the 50-over format. India capped off a splendid phase in ODIs as the team led by Rohit Sharma lifted the ICC Champions Trophy in February this year. The victory in Dubai over New Zealand marked India's second ICC title win within a year after the historic T20 World Cup triumph in 2024. While Tests remained a contention, Rohit Sharma, as India's white-ball captain, proved ultimately efficient. If not for the defeat to Australia in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, Rohit wouldn't have left any titles to pick in white-ball cricket.

After the T20 World Cup in 2024, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja ended their time in the shortest format on a high. Sharma's retirement paved the way for Suryakumar Yadav to take up India’s T20I captaincy. With the ICC Champions Trophy wrapped up, the next marquee event is scheduled two years from now. While preparations for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup begin now, Rohit Sharma, by that time, would be 40. Thus, the board is keen on onboarding a new skipper in the format who can lead the Indian charge in the next ODI World Cup.

"Quite frankly, a lot of us thought Rohit wanted to move away from the ODI format after winning the Champions Trophy. There have been no discussions between Rohit and the selectors over his ODI future," a BCCI source recently told. 

Shreyas Iyer leading the race to claim India's ODI captaincy

Currently, Suryakumar Yadav leads India in T20Is, Shubman Gill is ready to kickstart his Test captaincy tenure with the India vs England series, while Rohit Sharma retains the ODI captaincy. While SKY has emerged as a reliable leader in the shortest format, his prospects of returning to India’s 50-over setup are next to none. Meanwhile, for the young Shubman Gill to poise himself as an all-format captaincy candidate for India, the batter would need to prove his mettle in Tests first. Meanwhile, with the BCCI ready to bring about the transformation in ODIs, the time seems to have arrived for Shreyas Iyer to get his dues.

Despite an impressive run across the domestic cycle and the IPL, Shreyas Iyer was snubbed from the India squad for the England Tour. The chief selector of the BCCI, Ajit Agarkar, rued a lack of room for Iyer to get a call-up in India’s Test setup. However, unlike in red-ball cricket, the path seems clear for Shreyas Iyer to grab a leading role with the Indian team. After losing his central contract last year, Iyer made his comeback with Team India during the India vs England series ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. With consistently good knocks across the three ODIs against England, Iyer claimed a spot in the Indian playing XI for the Champions Trophy.

The middle-order batter, meanwhile, concluded the marquee event as the highest run-scorer for India as the team lifted the title in Dubai. Now, while Tests remain out of Iyer's reach, the 30-year-old Mumbai player is leading the race to become India’s next ODI captain. Iyer has already proved his credentials as a competent captain. After leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, the team’s first in over a decade, Iyer joined Punjab Kings for IPL 2025.

The captain brought about an impressive turnaround for the team in the recently concluded IPL season. Leading PBKS from the front, Iyer guided the team to their first IPL playoffs in 11 years. Moreover, the team entered the IPL 2025 finals with Iyer headlining the victory against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. While Punjab Kings lost the title to RCB by six runs, Iyer’s captaincy stint was no feat to ignore. The Mumbai player became the first captain in IPL history to lead three different teams to the summit clash. Now, while Iyer keeps busy in the Mumbai T20 League, a major opportunity likely awaits the stalwart.

“Right now he just plays ODIs, but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,” one of the board officials recently told about Iyer's spot in the Indian team.