NEW DELHI: Indian cricket board on Saturday appointed Shubman Gill as the new One Day International (ODI) captain, replacing Rohit Sharma in a leadership transition ahead of the next World Cup cycle.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the change following a meeting of the national selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, held in consultation with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Gill, 26, will lead the Indian side in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, with middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer named as vice-captain.
The decision marks a generational shift in Indian cricket leadership, coming just months after Rohit guided India to a record third ICC Champions Trophy title in Dubai.
Despite that success, selectors opted to hand the reins to Gill with a long-term focus on the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
“At some stage you’ve got to start looking at where the next World Cup is,” Agarkar told reporters in Ahmedabad. “It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats. You need to give the next guy enough time to plan and prepare.”
Rohit and Kohli retained for Australia series
The 38-year-old Rohit Sharma and 36-year-old Virat Kohli — both of whom have retired from Tests and T20 internationals — have been retained in the ODI squad for the three-match series beginning 19 October in Australia.
Agarkar confirmed that Rohit had been informed of the decision and declined to speculate on the duo’s participation in the 2027 World Cup.
“That’s the format they are currently playing,” Agarkar said. “As far as the next World Cup is concerned, we don’t need to talk about it today.”
Both Rohit and Kohli have not featured for India since the ICC Champions Trophy win in March.
Gill’s rise as India’s captain
Gill, already India’s Test captain and vice-captain of the T20 side, has quickly become the face of a new era in Indian cricket.
He succeeded Rohit as Test skipper earlier this year during the tour of England, earning widespread praise for his composed leadership and prolific batting.
The young opener scored 754 runs in five Tests to help India draw the series 2–2. He also leads Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), further underlining his growing stature as a leader.
India currently top both the ODI and T20 team rankings of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Busy schedule ahead for India
After the ongoing two-Test series against the West Indies, India will tour Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is, before returning home to host South Africa for two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from a fractured foot, was not included in the squad for the Australia series.
🚨 India’s squad for Tour of Australia announced
Shubman Gill named #TeamIndia Captain for ODIs
The #AUSvIND bilateral series comprises three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia in October-November pic.twitter.com/l3I2LA1dBJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 4, 2025
India’s ODI Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India’s T20 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
