Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary reckons that the head coach Gautam Gambhir may have played a role in Rohit Sharma’s removal as India’s ODI captain after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Manoj, who played for KKR during his career, claimed that Gambhir likely influenced Ajit Agarkar in deciding to announce Shubman Gill as Rohit's sucessor in the ODIs to lead the side.
India's ODI captaincy transition
Rohit, who had already retired from T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024 and stepped away from Test cricket in May last year, was still performing strongly in ODIs and aiming to stay at the top of his game ahead of the 2027 World Cup. However, when India announced its squad for the Australia ODIs in October, Shubman Gill was named the new captain. The move surprised many, especially since Rohit had ended his last stint as captain by winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
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Manoj Tiwari on Rohit Sharma's ODI captaincy shift
Tiwary believes that while Agarkar is capable of making tough decisions on his own, it’s unlikely he acted entirely independently. According to him, Gambhir’s opinion would have almost certainly influenced the choice to replace Rohit as ODI captain.
“I don't know what the main cause is. But knowing Ajit Agarkar, he is a personality. He is a decision maker. He will not take a step back in taking such steps. But whether he was influenced by someone to shoot the gun from his shoulder is something we need to look at. A lot of things happen behind the scenes, which makes 1+1 2. Maybe the decision was made by the chief selector, and he was very upfront about it. Naturally, the coach’s inputs must be there. You cannot make the decision on your own. Both are equally responsible for whatever decision was made,” Tiwary exclusively told Sports Tak.
Rohit Sharma's upcoming outing
Notably, Rohit is currently featuring for India in the ODIs under Shubman Gill's captaincy. The star opener's last ODI outing came in the second ODI against New Zealand. Rohit will now be seen in action in the third ODI, which will take place on January 18 at Holkar Stadium in Indore.