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Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has supported the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for appointing Shubman Gill as the ODI captain for the upcoming white ball tour to Australia. Uthappa believes Rohit Sharma's age should be considered for the upcoming edition of the 50-over World Cup in 2027, as the 36-year-old cricketer will be 41 by then.
Robin Uthappa for Rohit Sharma's age
The BCCI announced India's ODI and T20I squad against Australia, which is scheduled to take place on October 19. The Men in Blue will play a three-match ODI and five T20Is during the tour. Batting greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be seen in the action for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final; however, what raised eyebrows was that Rohit will not be leading the ODI squad on the Australian tour. The BCCI announced Shubman Gill as his sucessor to lead India in ODIs.
"He's gonna be, in all honesty, 41 when that World Cup comes around. Right? So, you gotta keep that in consideration as well. And for all intents and purposes, I think it's done with taking the decision when the stakes are low rather than when the stakes are high, you don't want another situation like what happened in Australia," Robin Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Uthappa for Rohit Sharma's captaincy setback
Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar shocked the cricketing world after revealing that he personally informed Rohit about the management's decision to move him away from captaincy. The captaincy baton was passed down to Gill two years before the 2027 World Cup, as the management wanted him to settle into the role before the mega event.
Uthappa believes that Rohit is very talented to experience setbacks and hopes he stays fit to avoid uncomfortable situations, such as the Australia tour.
"To happen to Rohit Sharma, he's too good a player for something to happen to him like that again. So, maybe to avoid all those stuffs. Maybe, I don't know... You don't want an uncomfortable situation like that, and if he keeps himself fit, then no questions there. You know Rohit and Virat will be a part of that side," Uthappa said.
Uthappa also believes Sharma's form won't dip drastically, but his reflexes might be affected due to limited cricket and noted that Rohit will mainly play in the IPL, ODIs, and possibly some domestic matches.
"I don't see form kind of dipping that sense, but it's just about reflexes and does that work, and how those things work because right now, they are not playing a lot of cricket as well. The only cricket they'll find themselves playing is perhaps the IPL and One Day cricket, and perhaps maybe some domestic One Day matches if they do come by," he concluded.
Rohit Sharma's ODI captaincy tenure
Rohit Sharma was appointed as India's ODI captain in 2017 and led the franchise in 56 ODIs, winning a stunning 42, losing just 12, with one ending in a no-result and another in a tie. His win percentage of 75 per cent.
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