“Shocking to see him not being captain but still selected” – Former India spinner reacts to Rohit Sharma’s removal as ODI skipper

On Saturday, October 4, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially named Shubman Gill as the new captain of the ODI team, replacing the legendary Rohit Sharma. Shubman’s reign will start on October 19, as India travel Down Under to face Australia in a three-match ODI series, which will be followed by five T20Is.

Rohit had been India’s ODI skipper since December 2021. He led the Men in Blue to the finals of the ODI World Cup in 2023. However, the crowing moment in the 50-over format came earlier this year when Rohit skippered India to the Champions Trophy title.

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that Shubman will be in for a fresh challenge, leading the Asian giants in the ODI format.

“Gill has been given another responsibility to lead the team in ODI as well. Of course, it’s going to be a new challenge for him. He hasn’t done that before. Rohit obviously has been replaced as a captain by Shubman and Rohit is someone who holds a very good record in in white-ball cricket. To be honest, It is a little bit shocking news for me to see Rohit not being captain and but selected,” said Harbhajan while speaking to Star Sports.

I think he should have given that at least this tour: Harbhajan

Harbhajan highlighted Rohit’s past records and said that the Mumbai cricketer should have at least been retained as skipper for the tour of Australia.

“I thought if at all he was going to Australia, he would have been captain again. He just won the Champions Trophy and other tournaments as well, so I think he’s been one of the pillars of Indian cricket when it comes to white-ball cricket. So I think he should have given that at least this tour,” said Harbhajan.

The ODI and T20 World Cup winner also mentioned that there was enough time for the 2027 World Cup. He said that Shubman could have taken over the role in a year’s time.

“If you want to think of 2027 World Cup that’s still very far. Shubman can obviously wait a little bit and probably take the team forward after maybe in 6 or 8 months or a year. There is still a lot of time for that. But yeah, I’m happy for Shubman, but at the same time I’m a bit disappointed for Rohit Sharma not being the captain,” Harbhajan concluded.