NEW DELHI:Rohit Sharma getting the axe as ODI captain, months after leading India to Champions Trophy title, and Hardik Pandya’s removal from the white-ball leadership, weeks after being the vice-captain at 2024 T20 World Cup, have been the most notable decisions taken by men’s senior selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar. There has already been a lot of chatter around Rohit’s participation in the 2027 edition of the ODI World Cup and Agarkar & Co. further fueled the speculation mill.The man who led India to 2023 ODI World Cup final, 2024 T20 World Cup title and 2025 Champions Trophy title was sacked as ODI captain citing the confusion different captains for different formats would have created. Even if that man was the individual under whom India had lost just one game in three ICC tournaments and changed the way India approached the 50-over format. The highest scorer of the Champions Trophy final played his next game for India without the captaincy armband. The selectors had their eyes locked on the 2027 World Cup and were ready to drop major hints.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Agarkar gave his reasons for the Gill move, tried backing it with cricketing logic but fell short of words when he was point blank asked about the communication with Rohit on the captaincy change.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma
“It’s a conversation between me and Rohit. But, of course, he’s been communicated,” was his shortest response during the press conference in Ahmedabad.Rohit was indeed “communicated”, and that’s the least selectors could have done, but there wasn’t the ideal dialogue when the events unfolded the way they did in the middle of India-West Indies Tests. The kind of dialogue which was required before this drastic step.This step was in the works for months, right from The Oval Test in England, but it certainly caught Rohit, who was busy shedding the extra kilos to be game ready for the Australia ODIs, off guard. A natural feeling of betrayal followed, especially after the Mumbaikar had repeatedly mentioned preparing for the multi-nation event in 2027. At 38, he still had a renewed fire in his belly to realise his ultimate dream of lifting the 50-over title – something which he came agonisingly close to doing in 2023 – but even he wasn’t expecting something this drastic, this soon.This wasn’t the first instance of chaotic captaincy changes; something similar unfolded when Suryakumar Yadav became the T20I skipper, pipping Hardik Pandya for the role. Pandya had been Rohit’s deputy in the format and was considered a strong contender for the white-ball leadership group, but the selectors decided to look SKY’s way before the limited-overs series vs Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar Yadav and AJit Agarkar
Even during that period, it is learnt that Agarkar assured a senior BCCI official he would speak with Pandya regarding the move but nothing of that sort happened. India’s premier all-rounder was kept in the dark while the selection committee planned the next steps, and “availability” was raised as the red-flag by the decision makers. A player who led Gujarat Titans to title in its debut season, finished runners-up next year, was Rohit’s deputy in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup, was removed citing fitness and availability concerns.“He (Hardik) is still a very important player for us and we want him to be the player that he can be because those sorts of skill sets are very difficult to find. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years, and then it becomes a bit more difficult for a coach or even us, the selectors.
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What do you think was the main reason for Hardik Pandya’s removal as T20 captain?
“Now we have got a bit more time till the next T20 World Cup where we can look at a few things. It is not rushed at the moment. He is an important player for us and performances are more important. That was the thought behind it. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is likely to be available more often than not,” Agarkar had said back in July 2024.Suryakumar Yadav’s batting stocks have been on a bear run since taking over as T20I captain but that has never been a concern for Agarkar. He wanted a captain “to be available more often than not” and when Hardik requested a break from Sri Lanka ODIs, it gave the thinktank another reason to take the call.Whether the Rohit and Hardik calls stand the test of time and pressure will be clear in the next two ICC tournaments, and one – the 2026 T20 World Cup – is just months away.
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