BCCI expected Rohit Sharma to retire from ODIs after Champions Trophy; Ajit Agarkar to act as captaincy saga intensifies
Indian cricket is going through an interesting time. The legends are on their way out, and the next generation is taking over. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two stalwarts and torch-bearers of Indian cricket, who held the batting over the last decade and a half, announced their retirements from T20Is last year and now have decided to walk away from Tests. Only ODIs remain – the format whose future has been widely debated. With still a good chunk of ODIs left between now and the 2027 World Cup, there is a chance that both Kohli and Rohit are eyeing to finish off their storied careers with the only ICC limited-overs trophy they haven't won together.
Here is the catch, though. The World Cup is still more than two years away, and by then, Rohit would be 40 while Kohli would be touching that figure. While there is no doubt that both would be eager to carry on, the team management may view at mission World Cup differently. For Kohli, the scheme of things looks a lot better as he is a lot fitter in comparison and has his batting approach sorted. With Rohit, it's been a bit of a hit and miss lately.
Two years ago, Rohit adopted this carefree batting approach during the 2023 World Cup, which, to a large extent, is continuing to work for him. However, with age catching up, how much longer this approach will bring him success will be a crucial factor. Besides, with reports doing the rounds that Rohit will no longer be captain during the ICC tournament in South Africa, the job becomes that much tougher for Rohit. Usually, how Indian cricket works is that it grooms a successor. For example, MS Dhoni knew that it would be tough for him to work past the 2019 World Cup, and hence Virat Kohli was appointed India's ODI captain in 2017. Similarly, with the 2027 World Cup likely being Rohit's swansong, the chances of him captaining are grim.
For the first time, Indian cricket is working on the theory of split captaincy. While Rohit is captaining India in the ODIs, Suryakumar Yadav is in command of the ODI team, and the newly appointed captain, Shubman Gill, will begin his journey in another 11 days' time. But it may not be the case for too long. A chance in guard is loading, and it could be coming shortly.
"Quite frankly, a lot of us thought Rohit wanted to move away from the ODI format after winning the Champions Trophy. There have been no discussions between Rohit and the selectors over his ODI future," a BCCI source told The Hindustan Times.
As part of the evolving cycle, the BCCI chairman of selectors is expected to spring into action to shape Rohit's successor. Despite his questionable tactics as Test captain, Rohit has been tremendous when it comes to leading India in white-ball formats. In the last three ICC events, India have lost just one match under Rohit – the World Cup final to Australia. In the last two years, Rohit has led India to two ICC championships – the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. If the Bangladesh tour goes as planned, then India will play their next ODI series in August; otherwise, in October, when they travel to Australia to play a three-match series.
August 2025: 3 matches in Bangladesh
October 2025: 3 matches in Australia
November 2025: 3 matches against South Africa at home
January 2026: 3 matches against New Zealand at home
June 2026: 3 matches against Afghanistan at home
July 2026: 3 matches in England
September 2026: 3 matches against West Indies at home
November 2026: 3 matches in New Zealand
December 2026: 3 matches against Sri Lanka at home.
Between now and the World Cup, India play at least 27 ODIs – updated as per the current FTP – but more matches can be added, and changes can be made. With so many matches being spread across two years, and with the possibility that Shreyas Iyer has joined India's race for captaincy, and Gill already in contention, Rohit's run as captain could be coming to an end.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Australia v SA: Fuzzy priorities and an imperfect WTC final
Mumbai: When Australia began their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign, David Warner was still around facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad. That feels like such a long time ago when you consider how Warner has moved on to become a T20 freelancer. Anderson will soon have a trophy named after him to settle retirement pangs, if any. With Broad, he's hopped to the South African corner as bowling consultant – to offer a crash course on beating old enemy Australia. The length of the playing cycle, however, is the least prickly of issues with WTC. Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma posed with the WTC mace made of sterling silver and gold plates at Lord's on match eve amid some disquiet over their contrasting lead-ins to make the final. Australia (19 Tests) survived the rigours of two five-Test series against England and India, while South Africa qualified with bare minimum participation (12 Tests). 'I'm tired of speaking about it, to be honest. We're here and that's all that matters. We get a chance to walk away as the World Test champions,' said Shukri Conrad, South Africa head coach. Conrad is right. South Africa are not to blame. They have played by the rules. Just like India was not at fault that their Champions Trophy schedule was less punishing than the other teams. The complex framework within which many of cricket's world events are currently staged with every format grappling for space with the franchise calendar means there's no perfect solution in sight. Test retirements The SA coach took charge only recently. From Quinton de Kock in the previous cycle to Heinrich Klaasen in the current one, Test retirements have become regular. It just happened that South Africa found a way to register a flurry of wins towards the end of the WTC cycle. They had even stopped pushing and virtually gifted wins to New Zealand as a severely depleted squad was fielded for the away series in February 2024 while the cream of their talent played SA20. 'Whenever I go into the stores here, you start calculating what it costs you. So, it's no surprise we can't compete,' Conrad was blunt about not being able to pay their Test players. 'So, it's about prioritising certain tours where we could give them a break and ensure that some conditioning is able to happen. Whenever we're not playing, there's an opportunity for them to earn some USD.' The question is whether Test cricket is in a better place than it was when this WTC cycle began two years back. It's still Australia, England and India who can afford to play five-Test series, home-and-away and make money out of it. But one can argue that if not for WTC, Cricket South Africa would possibly not even make the attempt to stage Test cricket, perhaps leading to a lost generation of Test talent for a cricket nation which has been among the most competitive since the return after the end of Apartheid. There has been some talk that qualifying for the Lord's final would lead to a revival of interest in Test cricket in South Africa. But there's nothing in the Future Tours Program that suggests this. There is no home Test scheduled for another year in South Africa. Of late, Zimbabwe are playing a lot more Test cricket. And they don't rank anywhere among the Test elite who compete for WTC. They are among the 12 Test teams though, which is not a notional privilege. Test status brings substantially more ICC funding compared to Associate teams. That is what it boils down to. Unless national boards can make Test cricket viable, they won't see the point in playing it. The depleting pool of international talent will make things dire. The hope of an evenly spread Test calendar to determine WTC finalists is delusionary in the current scheme of things. One-off final The good thing about a one-off final is that these persistent problems matter very little. Both Australia and South Africa will enter the field on Wednesday coming off very little red-ball cricket. As the Dukes ball tends to swing throughout the day, a sharp burst from Kagiso Rabada – he should be determined after his drug misadventure – and who knows? It wouldn't matter that Australia's total squad experience is double that of their opponents and that they are defending champions. 'They're here for a reason,' Steve Smith, Australia vice-captain said about the Proteas. 'I don't know how the system works with the percentages and what have you, but they're here, they're in the top two, and they're a good side.'
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
India go down 0-1 to Hong Kong in crucial 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier match
NEW DELHI: The suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat to hosts Hong Kong after conceding a stoppage-time penalty in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on Tuesday. The decisive goal came from Stefan Pereira in the 94th minute after a costly foul by India goalkeeper Vishal Kaith. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The referee pointed to the spot after Kaith charged off his line and collided with Michael Udebuluzor while attempting to punch the ball clear. Pereira made no mistake from the spot, calmly slotting the ball to Kaith's right. The Indian custodian was also shown a yellow card for the late challenge. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Earlier in the evening, head coach Manolo Marquez opted to keep veteran striker and talisman Sunil Chhetri out of the starting XI. Despite the raucous support for the home side at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium, India looked promising in the early exchanges and created a handful of chances in the first half, although Hong Kong dominated possession. However, as has often been the case of late, India's lack of clinical finishing once again proved costly. Their best opportunity of the half came in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan, set up beautifully by Liston Colaco's run and cross from the left, fired wide from close range. Colaco, who had earlier received treatment for an injury, also tried his luck with a powerful long-range effort, but it went straight into the hands of the Hong Kong goalkeeper. Hong Kong grew into the game as the first half progressed and nearly broke the deadlock through a set-piece, only to be denied by a goal-line clearance from Ashish Rai after Kaith was beaten. Both sides had their moments in a tightly contested opening 45 minutes, but neither could capitalize. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kuruniyan, effective down the flank throughout the match, had another opportunity early in the second half but again couldn't convert. In an attempt to inject urgency into the Indian attack, Marquez introduced Sunil Chhetri and Naorem Singh in place of Kuruniyan and Brandon Fernandes. MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost India continued to press for a goal and came close in the 81st minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte delivered a precise cutback to Chhetri inside the box, but the veteran striker failed to make solid contact. The result is a major blow to India's qualification hopes, especially after their goalless draw against Bangladesh at home in March in their opening qualifier. With only a few matches remaining, the Blue Tigers will now need to regroup quickly to keep their Asian Cup dreams alive.
News18
21 minutes ago
- News18
India Go Down 0-1 To Hong Kong In Crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier
Last Updated: India lost 1-0 to Hong Kong in a 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier as Stefan Pereira scored a late penalty after a Vishal Kaith mistake. The Indian football team suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against hosts Hong Kong in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match on Tuesday, conceding a late goal from Stefan Pereira in injury time. Hong Kong were awarded a penalty after Indian goalkeeper Vishal Kaith came off his line and collided with Michael Udebuluzor while attempting to clear the ball. Pereira (90+4) converted the spot-kick, placing the ball to the right of Kaith, who received a yellow card for the foul. Earlier, India's coach Manolo Marquez had opted to leave veteran striker Sunil Chhetri out of the starting line-up. Despite strong home support at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium, India created several chances in the first half, even though Hong Kong enjoyed more possession. However, the Blue Tigers' persistent struggles with finishing continued to plague them throughout the opening 45 minutes. The closest India came to scoring before half-time was in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan missed from close range following a well-delivered cross from Liston Colaco on the left. After receiving treatment for an injury, Colaco unleashed a powerful long-range shot that was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper. As the half progressed, Hong Kong gained confidence. The home side nearly took the lead from a free-kick, but Asish Rai made a crucial clearance after goalkeeper Kaith was beaten. Both teams had opportunities, but neither could break the deadlock in a tightly contested first half of this vital 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier. Kuruniyan, who otherwise delivered an impressive performance on the flanks, had another chance to open the scoring early in the second half but was unable to convert. Shortly thereafter, coach Manolo Marquez introduced India's all-time leading goal-scorer, Sunil Chhetri, alongside Naorem Singh, replacing Kuruniyan and Brandon Fernandes. India continued to create chances in the second half, notably in the 81st minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte provided a superb cutback to Chhetri inside the Hong Kong box, but the veteran striker failed to connect cleanly. The result represents a setback for India, who entered the match following a goalless draw against Bangladesh in their opening Asian Cup qualifying match at home in March.
