Gill appointed ODI captain; Rohit, Kohli part of squad

Test skipper Shubman Gill was named India’s one-day international (ODI) captain on Saturday ahead of the upcoming series against Australia, ending Rohit Sharma’s four-year tenure at the helm and signalling the beginning of a new phase in India’s limited-overs setup.

- Rasesh Mandani

Shubman Gill celebrates with Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar after India won the first Test against the West Indies, in Ahmedabad on Saturday, by an innings and 140 runs. Related story on page 24 PTI

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced that 38-year-old Sharma and 36-year-old Virat Kohli—both of whom retired from Tests in May—will continue to be part of the squad for the three-match series starting October 19 in Australia while noting that Gill was named captain with the 2027 World Cup in mind.

“Obviously, at some stage, you've got to start looking at where the next World Cup is. It's also a format which is played the least now, so you don’t get that many games to actually give the next guy that much time to prepare himself or plan,” he said at a press conference in Ahmedabad

Sharma became the full-time ODI captain in December 2021, taking over from Kohli. He led the team in 56 matches, winning 42 of them. He guided India to victory in the 2023 Asia Cup, a runner-up finish in the 2023 World Cup, and the Champions Trophy win eight months ago. Agarkar acknowledged Sharma's significant contributions but emphasised the need to plan for the team's future.