The decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill as India’s ODI captain has grabbed all the cricketing headlines and the debate is refusing to die down. While the BCCI has justified the move as part of long-term planning for the 2027 World Cup, Rohit’s role in the ODI squad is under the scanner. With him turning 40 when the next World Cup arrives, there are massive doubts over his future.
Rohit’s track record is decorated: he became the only Indian captain after MS Dhoni to lead the side into three ICC white-ball finals, winning both the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy while also finishing runner-up in the ODI World Cup. Yet, with the baton now passed to Gill, former India wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim believes the time has come to be transparent about Rohit’s ODI future.
Saba Karim calls for clarity
Karim, known for his forthright opinions, minced no words in his criticism of the selection committee. “Team mein aap kyon rakh rahe hain? Agar woh captain nahin hain to phir ek baat saaf hai na ki aap unka future dekh nahi rahe ki wo 2027 ke World Cup mein rahenge, to phir aap aise khiladi ko team mein nahin rakhiye jo aapko lagta hain ki 2027 mein aapke hisaab se maujood nahin rahenge,” he said as quoted by News18. (If he isn’t captaining, then it’s clear that you don’t see his future. You don’t feel that he will be a part of the 2027 World Cup. So, don’t keep a player whom you don’t feel would be a part of the 2027 World Cup.)
Translated, Karim’s point is a blunt one. If Rohit is no longer seen as a captain or a 2027 World Cup player, why persist with him in the squad? He argued that consistency in planning is crucial and that India cannot afford to mix short-term sentiment with long-term goals. India have a luxury to have someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal on the bench, who is the present and future of Indian cricket.
From December 2021 to March 2025, India enjoyed its most successful ODI phase under Rohit’s leadership, capped by an unbeaten run to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year. It followed a heartbreaking World Cup final loss in 2023 and a triumphant T20 World Cup campaign in 2024. That golden stretch established Rohit not just as a stopgap after Virat Kohli but as one of India’s most accomplished limited-overs captains.
However, age and form have forced a gradual scaling down of his responsibilities. He has already retired from T20Is, stepped away from Test cricket after a lean run, and now stands at the crossroads in ODIs. Whether he continues as a senior batter under Gill or quietly phases out will depend on how selectors handle him.
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