Ajit Agarkar reveals why Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain

By Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek has a Master's in Journalism and has written more than 50,000 articles. He currently works as a cricket content writer at Khel Now.

Published at :October 4, 2025 at 3:48 PM

Modified at :October 4, 2025 at 3:48 PM

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, India ODI Cricket

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Shubman Gill will takeover as India’s ODI captain from the Australia tour in October 2025.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Indian Cricket Team’s squad for the ODI and T20I series against Australia Cricket Team on Saturday, October 4. One of the surprising developments was Shubman Gill replacing Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain. Following the announcement, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed the reason behind appointing Gill as the new ODI captain.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been named in the squad for the ODI series against Australia. The duo will return to the national team after a long gap, having last played for India in March during ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Moreover, Shreyas Iyer has been promoted as vice-captain of the Indian ODI side. Notably, India will tour Australia in October-November 2025 for three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI series will begin on October 19 and conclude on 25 while the T20I series will be played from October 29 to November 8.

Having three different captains across formats is nearly impossible: Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar, Shiv Sundar Das, Indian Cricket Team selection committee, BCCI — Indian selectors Ajit Agarkar and Shiv Sundar Das. (Image Source: BCCI)

Revealing the reason behind Gill replacing Rohit as ODI captain, Agarkar said that having different captains for each format was an impossible decision. He also added that Gill will have enough time to settle as the ODI captain ahead of the World Cup in 2027.

“Having three different captains across formats is nearly impossible. Since ODIs are currently the least played format, the priority is the T20 World Cup. The aim is to give Gill time to settle in. Gill has been India’s ODI vice-captain for a long time now,” he said.

Notably, Gill was named as India’s test captain earlier in May after Rohit announced his retirement from test cricket.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya have been ruled out of the Australia white-ball tour due to their respective injuries. While Rishabh Pant suffered a foot fracture during India’s test tour of England earlier this year, Hardik suffered an injury during India’s title-winning campaign at Asia Cup 2025.

India squad for Australia ODI series: Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Why has Gill replaced Rohit as India’s new ODI captain?

According to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, it is impossible to have three different captains for three different formats. Hence, Gill has replaced Rohit as India’s ODI captain.

Who has been appointed as vice-captain of India in ODIs?

Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as vice-captain of India in ODIs.

What is India’s squad for ODI series against Australia?

India squad for Australia ODIs: Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

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Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.