"Rohit Sharma ne Hindustan ko 16 saal diye…"- Mohammad Kaif lashes out at the BCCI for not letting India batter continue for one more year

Mohammad Kaif highlighted Rohit Sharma’s achievements in a video on Instagram.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif heavily criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for removing Rohit Sharma as ODI captain of Indian Cricket Team. Kaif said that Rohit gave 16 years to Indian cricket, but they could not give him one more year as captain.

On Saturday (October 4), the BCCI announced the appointment of Shubman Gill as ODI captain, replacing Rohit ahead of the Australia tour. The young batter will commence his stint with the three-match series against Australia, beginning 19th October.

Rohit took the ODI captaincy from Virat Kohli in December 2021 after the latter was sacked by the BCCI. He led the team in 56 ODI matches during his career, winning 42 of them. His biggest achievement as ODI captain was leading the team to ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title.

Mohammad Kaif criticises BCCI for removing Rohit Sharma as ODI captain

Speaking in a video on Instagram, Kaif slammed BCCI for removing Rohit as ODI skipper, stressing that they could not give him one more year as captain. He also highlighted Rohit’s achievements as ODI captain.

“Rohit Sharma ne Hindustan ko 16 saal diye aur hum unko ek saal nahi de paaye bataur captain. (Rohit Sharma gave 16 years to India, and we couldn’t give him even one more year as captain.) In 16 ICC event matches, he won 15 and lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia,” Kaif said.

“In the last match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai, Rohit Sharma was the Player of the Match. There, he brought the trophy home. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India won the trophy, and the trophy is in his name,” he said.

“He showed greatness by retiring there, saying, ‘We’ve won the 2024 World Cup, now let new players come in.’ He stayed out of the limelight for some time; someone else captained. When new players came, he lost his place,” he added.

Kaif also noted that Shubman Gill could be a good captain in future, but there was no need to fast-track his captaincy as Rohit could’ve been given an additional year.

“In India, there are examples of people stretching their time. Rohit Sharma did not do that. He made players, taught them, backed them, and mentored them to perform under pressure. But we could not give him one year,” he said.

“For the 2027 World Cup, he will not lead the team; he has been removed. We couldn’t give him one additional year. Shubman Gill will take over. Gill is young, fresh, and could be a good captain, but there is no necessity to fast-track everything,” Kaif concluded.

Speaking about Gill being appointed as ODI captain, India chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that it was impossible to keep a different captain for each format. He also added that Gill will have enough time to settle as captain ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.

Meanwhile, Rohit and Kohli are part of the ODI series against Australia, scheduled to be played from October 19 to 25. Shreyas Iyer has been named as the new vice-captain in 50-over cricket.

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