Why was Rohit Sharma removed from India ODI captaincy?

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Why was Rohit Sharma removed from India ODI captaincy?: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian ODI and T20 International (T20I) squads for the upcoming tour of Australia on Saturday, October 4, 2025. The most significant change in this announcement was that young star Shubman Gill has been appointed the new captain of the ODI team, replacing Rohit Sharma.

The selection committee, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, made this decision with the aim of long-term planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup and establishing leadership stability across all three formats.

Leadership Change: Why was Rohit Sharma removed from the Indian captaincy?

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Under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, India recently won major tournaments such as the T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, yet he has been stripped of the ODI captaincy. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the reasons behind this:

Preparing for the 2027 World Cup: Agarkar stated that the board now needs to begin planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup. This decision was made to give Shubman Gill (26) enough time to establish himself before the next World Cup.

One captain, three formats: Agarkar emphasized that "having three different captains for three formats is practically impossible." Gill is already the Test captain, and with him now taking over the ODI reins, leadership is being consolidated in Indian cricket.

Fewer ODI matches: Since the number of ODI matches until the next World Cup is significantly reduced, this move has been taken to give the new captain time to build and establish his team.

This decision shows that the selection committee is now focusing on the future and Shubman Gill is being prepared to lead the team in all three formats in the times to come.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma record as ODI captain, A Look at the Incredible 75% Win Rate

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Return to the ODI Squad

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Despite the change in captaincy, two of the team's most experienced players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have been included in the ODI squad against Australia. Both veterans have retired from Test and T20 formats and are now focusing solely on ODIs.

The return of these two players on the Australian tour will mark their first international appearances since the Champions Trophy 2025 final. However, they will now strengthen the team as specialist batsmen under captain Gill.

Also Read: Why Hardik Pandya dropped from the squad for the Australia tour?

Rohit Sharma's ODI record

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Rohit, who succeeded Kohli as India's full-time ODI captain in December 2021, has performed brilliantly in this role, winning 42 of his 56 ODIs, a win percentage of 75. India lost only 12 matches.

Rohit has achieved considerable success as captain in multi-national tournaments, leading the team to the 2018 Asia Cup title as stand-in captain before winning the 2023 Asia Cup as full-time captain. Under his leadership, India also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, losing to Australia in the final, finishing runner-up. Rohit's reign as ODI captain ended with the 2025 Champions Trophy victory.

Also Read: India announced T20I and ODI squads for the Australia tour

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