Test captain Shubman Gill, 26, is likely to be appointed as One-Day International (ODI) captain for the three match series against Australia, while incumbent Rohit Sharma is also set to be part of the team and so is former India captain Virat Kohli.
Gill’s appointment is likely after the selectors spoke to the Test skipper informing him that, keeping the big picture in mind, they wanted him to captain the side for the ICC World Cup in 2027 to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Gill also attended the selection meeting on Saturday.
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The selectors also kept head coach Gautam gambhir in the loop about the change of leadership in ODI cricket; from Rohit to Gill.
If the baton passes from Rohit who is 38 to Gill, who is over a decade younger, it will be a major change of guard.
In his maiden Test series as captain, Gill amassed 754 runs in five matches in England, averaging 75.40 with four centuries. The hard-fought series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended in a 2-2 scoreline. Even in the T20 squad, Gill is a vital member as he opens the innings with Abhishek Sharmahis Punjab teammate. Gill has played 55 ODI and scored 2775 runs at an average of 59.04 with eight centuries, including a 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2003.
Suryakumar Yadav was retained as the captain for the three-match T20 series post the ODI series in Australia.
It is understood that Rohit and Kohli remain in the scheme of things for ODIs for now but will be playing their first competitive matches in eight months. Their last game was the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, which India won under Rohit’s captaincy by beating New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai.
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Rohit captained the Indian white-ball team to two ICC trophies, the T20 World Cup in the West Indies last year and the Champions Trophy title this year. However, after a poor series against Australia, he stood down for the final Test in Sydney because of lack of runs.
“Runs are not coming but there is no guarantee that you won’t be able to score two months down the line or six months down the line. I am mature enough to know what I am doing,” Rohit had told the official broadcaster. However, in May he stepped down from Test captaincy ahead of the five-match series in England which resulted in the elevation of Gill as Test skipper.
