Ex-India batter drops bombshell on Shubman Gill's elevation to ODI captaincy: 'Selectors have pressurised him'

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif dropped a bombshell on Shubman Gill's recent elevation to ODI captaincy that brought Rohit Sharma’s reign as skipper to an end, claiming that the 26-year-old didn’t want the responsibility but was “pressurised” into accepting it.

Gill, who had succeeded Rohit as Test skipper earlier this year, was unveiled as India’s new full-time ODI captain on Saturday during chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s announcement of India’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia.

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And while Rohit and fellow superstar Virat Kohli have been included for the ODI leg of the tour that comprises three matches from 19 to 25 October, there are doubts over their future in the Indian team and whether they are part of the management’s plans for the 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa.

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‘Everything is being done in a hurry’

“This was on expected lines, but I felt this would happen after the 2027 World Cup. The guy has quality, and he’s also worked on his fitness. He had a realistic chance of playing the 2027 World Cup. However, the load falls on Gill. He’s getting all of it in a hurry. It could also lead to a loss. When you get so much in such a short time, it could backfire,” Kaif said in a video posted on YouTube.

“My point is that don’t overburden him. He captains in Tests, bats at No. 4. He was made the vice-captain in the Asia Cup – will take over when Suryakumar Yadav steps aside. Now you’ve made him the ODI captain. I feel everything is being done in a hurry.

“A player never asks for captaincy. Everyone knows that he didn’t want it. You can’t demand it, but everyone seems to like him a lot and considers him a captain for the future. The selectors, including Ajit Agarkar, have pressurised him,” added the former middle-order batter who represented India in 13 Tests and 125 ODIs.

Also Read | Team India selectors blasted for 'acting in great haste' with Rohit Sharma: 'Why is he in the team?'

Rohit had last captained the Indian team in the Champions Trophy in February and March, in which the Men in Blue won all five matches that they played to win a second consecutive ICC event. The ‘Hitman’ had previously retired from T20Is after leading India to victory in last year’s T20 World Cup, and from Test cricket in May.

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Besides Gill, senior middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer was also rewarded for his consistency in the 50-over format by being named ODI vice-captain.