NEW DELHI:
Shubman Gill's appointment as India's ODI captain was always a question of when, and not why. The discussions had begun months before the official squad announcement on Saturday (October 4) for the Australia limited overs series.
The decision makers got the conviction after seeing the side put up a solid show under the youngster in the five-Test series in England earlier in the year. It wasn't the mountain of runs he scored but how the dressing room reacted to the change in leadership. The thriller at The Oval - which helped India draw the series 2-2 - all but sealed the deal.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Informal discussions on the road to the 2027 World Cup got underway, and they weren't random discussions. A blueprint was discussed with Gill and a pool of players was deliberated upon as the men who matter in Indian cricketing circles were convinced that Gill will have the armband for the multi-nation event two years later. The big question, however, remained how the
BCCI will deal with
Rohit Sharma who led India to Champions Trophy glory in his last assignment. Unlike Tests, there was the weight of runs behind him too but no guarantee of whether he would last the distance.
The decision makers reasoned that two years was a long time and playing just one format wouldn't allow Rohit to have adequate game time. As far as Rohit was concerned, he continued doing his bit and made the right noises by clearing the necessary fitness tests and getting in shape before India's next assignment. The game time, however, which even
Ajit Agarkar hinted at during the press-conference, was missing. The right-hander last played for India in the Champions Trophy and his last competitive outing came during the IPL for Mumbai Indians.
Gill, meanwhile, scored a lot of runs in England, was appointed vice-captain for the Asia Cup T20 event and was given enough signals on the inevitable happening in the 50-over format too.
Initially, the house remained divided as Rohit has been one of India's greatest white-ball captains and the call wasn't going to be that easy. But as the Australia tour got closer, the picture became much clearer. So much so that there was a section in Indian cricketing circles which wasn't in favour of sending both Rohit and
Virat Kohli to Australia for ODIs. Surprisingly, the situation has come to a point where both Rohit and Virat are being looked at from the same microscope. Even after the vast difference in fitness levels, and an age gap of two years.
"If we keep dragging things, it will only get complicated. And with two players - one 38 (Rohit) and other 36 (Kohli) - you can't place the early bets. Yes, even the younger ones could lose form and fitness but it's the safer bet," they reasoned.
When there was so much deliberation around even the Australia ODIs, the World Cup seemed like a distant destination. And it still is. Agarkar asserted, "I don't think we need to talk about it today," and there were strong hints of perform or perish applying to the modern-day greats going forward.
They are expected to turn up for their domestic sides when there is no international cricket happening, and it will now be interesting to see whether both Rohit and Virat turn up for Mumbai and Delhi, respectively, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
"I think that we've made it clearer a couple of years back. Whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. That's the only way you'll keep yourself sharp and play cricket," said Agarkar.
After Tests, Indian cricket's transition in ODIs is also underway with a change of leadership and it now remains to be seen whether the two giants Rohit and Virat last the distance or run out of gas before the 2027 World Cup. The men who matter seem to be convinced that at least Rohit won't.
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