Shubman Gill Replaces Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI Captain Ahead of Australia Series

Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as the new ODI captain of Indian team. Today, the selectors led by Ajit Agarkar announced the squad for the upcoming  ODI and T20I series against Australia. The ODI series begins from 19 October. It was believed that Rohit Sharma will continue as the ODI captain till 2027 World Cup. But selectors felt that it is the right time to replace to Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill. As he is currently leading India in Tests and he is the vice-captain in T20Is 

Shubman Gill new ODI Captain

The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, convened on Saturday to pick the squad for the Australia tour. The selectors also kept head coach Gautam Gambhir in the loop before deciding to change the captaincy. Earlier this year, Gill took over as the Test captain after Rohit retired from the format.

Ever since announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Rohit had been preparing to the best of his ability in Mumbai, as he wanted to be in prime shape for the Australia tour. He was seen training with former Team India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Over the past few days, fresh images and videos have surfaced online, showcasing how Rohit shed several kilos, looking in the best shape possible ahead of the trip Down Under. For the series against Australia, Shreyas Iyer will be serving as Gill’s deputy. The right-handed batter from Mumbai has clearly been rewarded for his outstanding captaincy credentials in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Rohit and Virat Kohli returns 

Both Rohit and Virat Kohli have been named in the squad, and hence the duo would be boarding the flight to Australia for the upcoming three-match series, marking their first international series for India ever since the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, which India won by beating New Zealand in the final.

The changing of the guard from the 38-year-old Rohit is a major decision when it comes to Indian cricket. Earlier this year, numerous reports circulated stating that RoKo might play their last international series for India against Australia. The Dainik Jagran report also claimed that if Rohit and Virat want to participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup, they will be required to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Recently, Rohit and Virat both opted not to play the India A series against Australia A, which got underway on September 30 in Kanpur.

Speaking of Rohit, under his leadership, India broke its ICC title drought last year after winning the T20 World Cup. After the achievement, both Rohit and Virat announced their retirement from international T20Is.

Rohit then oversaw India’s undefeated campaign in the eight-team Champions Trophy, where the side played all of its matches in Dubai. After having a victorious campaign in the Champions Trophy, Rohit famously said, “I am not retiring from this format.” This statement came amid reports that Rohit might retire from ODIs.