Rohit Sharma, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, has confirmed that he will continue to play in One Day Internationals (ODIs). In a recent interview with journalist Vimal Kumar, the senior batter also revealed his aspiration to captain India in the ICC World Cup 2027 and lead the team to victory.
However, Rohit Sharma hopes of captaining India in the 2027 World Cup may not come to fruition. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Shubman Gill — who was recently named India’s Test captain — is likely to be handed the ODI captaincy as well. The report suggests that a formal decision on this transition could be made in the near future, putting Rohit Sharma’s leadership role in ODIs under serious threat.
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Other reports indicate that Gill, who made his captaincy debut in the IPL this season, might be considered for captaincy across all three formats in the future. The selection committee is focused on building a team for the next decade and wants Gill to gradually shape a squad of his own.
Shubman Gill is Rohit Sharma’s Deputy in ODIs
Shubman Gill currently serves as the vice-captain of the Indian Cricket Team in the One Day International (ODI) format. With the ICC World Cup 2027 still two years away, this presents a valuable opportunity for the young batter to step up and begin shaping the team for the mega event in South Africa.
This potential transition comes amid recent comments by head coach Gautam Gambhir, who, in an interview, expressed his preference against split captaincy. While he ideally wants to work with a single leader across formats, he acknowledged the challenges of modern cricket, noting that it’s unrealistic for one player to captain in all three formats.
Replacing Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain would be a bold decision, considering his track record. The veteran opener recently led India to an unbeaten title win at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Under Rohit’s leadership, India also clinched the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, finishing the tournament unbeaten. Following that triumph, Rohit announced his retirement from T20Is, ending his career in the shortest format on a high.
At present, the Indian team has different captains for each format: Rohit Sharma in ODIs, Shubman Gill in Tests, and Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is. Whether Gill will eventually take charge of India’s white-ball teams remains to be seen.
