“Not Easy To Plan With Three Captains” – Ajit Agarkar On Gill Replacing Rohit As ODI Skipper

Team India chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that appointing Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain was aimed at preventing the team from having three different captains across formats. After Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20Is and Tests within a year, India transitioned from having an all-format leader to separate skippers for each format.

Suryakumar Yadav took charge of the T20I side following the 2024 T20 World Cup, while Gill was named Test captain ahead of the England tour in July 2025. Rohit continued leading in ODIs, guiding India to a Champions Trophy win earlier this year.

However, the veteran opener has now been replaced, with the management focusing on a long-term leadership plan under Gill. He will lead in the longer formats, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant serving as his deputies. Shubman Gill was also recently appointed T20I vice-captain ahead of the Asia Cup 2025.

“Planning Gets Tough With Three Captains”- Ajit Agarkar”

Ajit Agarkar pointed out that it becomes challenging for the coaches and team management to strategize effectively when working with three different captains.

“It is practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats. Just in terms of planning. It is also a format which is played the least now. So, you actually don’t get much games to give the next guy that much time to prepare himself or plan. We are still two years away still.”

“The last one-day game we played was March 8, and the next one is on October 19. So, it is a bit of a challenge in ODI at the moment. For the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy,” Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference (via Jio Hotstar).

A reporter asked Agarkar how Rohit Sharma reacted to the news of his captaincy tenure coming to an end.

“That is a conversation between me and Rohit, yaar,” the selector replied.