It is two days since the Board of Control Cricket in India (BCCI) relieved Rohit Sharma of the role of India as ODI captain and also replaced him with Shubman Gill, but still, former cricketers and experts are still pouring reactions. One of the voices that was rather vocal was that of Mohammad Kaif, who came out strongly in support of Rohit and was wondering why the transition was done when and how it was done. Kaif advised Rohit to continue playing as captain until the 2027 World Cup, and that rushing to give up the duties to Gill may be counterproductive to the players and the team at large.
Kaif pointed out that in a period of two months, Shubman Gill has been declared the captain of the Indian Test team, the Indian ODI team, and the vice-captain in the T20Is. He will replace Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the T20I team in 2026-27 at home during the 2027 World Cup. Although the gesture might seem progressive as it looks, Kaif reckons that Gill has been forced to take captainship way earlier than anticipated.
This was anticipated, and I believed that this would occur after the 2027 World Cup. Gill is good and has trained his fitness, but there is so much weight lifted off him. He is demanding too much too soon, and it will come back against him. A player does not request to be the captain; everybody believes that he is the future. However, the selectors, including Ajit Agarkar, have piled him down, and he has been pressurised by the selectors through video, including his own YouTube channel.
Kaif also felt concerned about Rohit Sharma, saying that he would be affected in his form and morale by being taken away as his captain. Rohit is in his final match as the captain of India, having taken India to the final of the Champions Trophy. His future performances, the next three-match ODI series with Australia on October 19, may be affected.
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