BCCI is investing heavily in the future, and looking into that, Rohit Sharma has been removed from the captaincy. Rohit and Virat are the two most senior players of Indian cricket, and the age factor is not helping them anymore. They have taken retirement from the longest and the shortest formats. For any team, a specialized one-format player is nothing but extra baggage, but both Virat and Rohit are from another league, so the removal from captaincy has sparked debate in the cricket circle. From July 2024 to March 2025, in just 8 months, Rohit Sharma won two ICC trophies, but it still doesn't help him.
Ajit Agarkar, the reformer of Indian Cricket
Ajit Agarkar became the BCCI chief selector in 2023. From then he has tried to reform the white ball playing approach of Indian cricket and chose players like that, and after that, he took some game-changing decisions, from the removal of Hardik Padya from captaincy to dropping Mohammad Shami. The removal of Rohit from captaincy sends a strong message in this regard. Rohit, the captain, had a fantastic run, and he is the most successful ODI captain.
Speaking about the removal of Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, he said it is practically impossible to have three captains in three different formats.
Now it is also uncertain whether the Indian stars will play the 2027 World Cup or not. In response to the question about their availability at the 2027 World Cup, Ajit Agarkar said both are non-committal for the World Cup.
Future of Ro-Ko
Rohit and Virat need to perform heavily in every game if they have to make a place in the ODI team. Both are practicing really well, but they haven’t had a game time in recent months. They played their last match in the IPL.
Though Kohli knew the format's essence, Rohit knew how to lead India toward an aggressive style that matched the new version of ODI in the T20 era. Both have had tremendous success in this format, and, naturally, their final stint for India is in ODIs. It's a format that comes naturally to them, and they understand its rhythm and soul better than anybody else on the team.
The decision by selectors to remove him as captain at this point in his career, considering the future of the Indian team, is not surprising, despite the fact that fanbases on social media may make it appear so. When Kohli and Rohit's Test careers ended, we witnessed understandable virtual tears.
Before this, the prominent players of the previous generation also did not have a memorable farewell. Sachin Tendulkar got it, but again Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman didn’t have one, Sourav Ganguly was edged out, and 3-time ICC trophy winner MSD also didn’t get a farewell.
Agarkar and his team are making decisions they believe are best, and now Rohit and Virat have to work hard to secure their position in the team, as the competition is tough and many young stars are waiting for their opportunity.
