Why Was Rohit Sharma Removed as Captain Despite Winning an ICC Title?

The Indian Cricket Team are all set to travel to Australia to play a white-ball series, which is scheduled to start on October 19. After a successful stint in the Test series against England a few months back, Shubman Gill is ready to take over the captaincy of the white-ball side from Rohit Sharma. Gill has proven his worth in both Tests and the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where he served as the vice-captain of the Indian team. While he wasn't very impressive, some of his knocks did help India in the tournament.

Hence, the selectors are eyeing to make him an all-format captain. India’s new ODI captain, Shubman Gill, has already made a mark with his sharp decision-making, and fans are eager to see how one of the best ODI batsmen in the world, Rohit Sharma captaincy in the past helps in shaping the future of the Indian team.

These decisions may lead to conflicts of opinion among cricket fans around the world. Some are saying this is a tactical move, while others are claiming this is pure politics. Gill has always had more opportunities compared to any other player. Despite not being able to perform in the Asia Cup, he got the Captaincy role, that too when Rohit Sharma, who has 76% winning record in ODIs, was in that role.

End of an Era: Rohit Sharma Captaincy Comes to a Close in ODIs

India's one of the best captains, Rohit Sharma, is snubbed from ODI captaincy despite helping India win the Champions Trophy 2025 back in February. The news didn't sit well with the fans since the cricketer is not looking to retire from the format anytime soon. Rohit, along with Virat Kohli, has stepped away from T20I and Test cricket to focus more on the ODI format. There might be several reasons behind this snub, starting with Rohit's age.

Currently, the right-handed batter is 38 years old, and by the time the ODI World Cup 2027 comes around, there is no certainty of his presence in the team, as he will be 40 by then. Undoubtedly one of the best opening batters in the world, Rohit's fitness has improved quite a lot in the last few weeks. However, the selectors have ignored the fitness aspect.
If we analyse the ODI captaincy, one of the best openers in the world, Shubman Gill, fits the criteria well, as he is an incredible player and is just 26 years old. The selectors want to invest their time and effort into a young captain who could lead the team in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2027.

Rohit Sharma's Performance in Champions Trophy 2025

The right-handed batter, Rohit Sharma, is known for his power-hitting in the power plays. He opened the batting for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy and was expected to perform well throughout the tournament. Despite the high hopes on his shoulders, Rohit failed to perform in most of the matches. However, he stood up for the team in the final match when they needed him the most, helping them secure the tournament win. After the T20 World Cup 2024, this was the second ICC trophy to come under Rohit Sharma's name, following a trophyless period of more than 12 years.

While Rohit Sharma's instincts are top-notch, especially in the important matches, the fans felt it was unfair for the selectors to discard him from the captaincy position, considering the kind of player he is. Since the selectors have placed their bets on Shubman Gill as an all-format captain, it will be interesting to see how well the young batter can handle the pressure of leading the Indian team in almost all formats. Currently, Gill is the ODI and Test captain and the vice-captain of the T20I team.