Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain “could have disturbed the team culture”: Report

According to reports published in the Times of India (TOI), a BCCI source has stated that the Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, didn’t want Rohit Sharma to dictate things his own way in the dressing room as they feared it could impact the team culture in a negative way.

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For the unversed, Rohit has been sacked as the ODI captain, with Shubman Gill elevated as the new ODI skipper of the side for the forthcoming three-match ODI series against Australia Down Under, starting on October 19.

"A player of Rohit's stature in a leadership role would have meant he would get to drive his philosophy in the dressing room. But with him playing only in ODIs, a format which is played the least, it could have disturbed the team culture," the Times of India quoted a BCCI source as saying.

Furthermore, the report also disclosed that while the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir took a backseat in the initial months, he started interfering in too many things, including harsh selection calls, of late after Team India’s series defeats to New Zealand and Australia.

"Gambhir had taken a back seat in Tests and ODIs in the first six months of his assignment, but the debacles against New Zealand and Australia prompted him to take charge more firmly," the source added.

Though the talismanic Indian batters Kohli and Rohit have been included in the ODI series for the Australian tour, Gambhir and selectors are of the opinion that their form could dip down the line in the next two years before the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 commences. 

"It has been a collective effort by Gambhir and Agarkar. They understand that it will be tough for both Rohit and Kohli to be at their peak after two years, given that they are in their late 30s. They didn't want to be caught off guard if suddenly Rohit or Kohli's form dipped. It would have created chaos in the leadership group," the source stated.

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"The duo announcing retirement from Tests days before the selection for the England tour was a case in point. The team won the Champions Trophy and two Tests in England even without Bumrah," the source concluded.

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