With some media reports suggesting Indian Test captain Shubman Gill may be made India’s next ODI captain and some former cricketers too putting their weight behind Gill, it has to be seen whether BCCI will appoint a new Indian captain or Rohit Sharma remains the Indian ODI captain. While India won this year’s Champions Trophy under the captaincy of Sharma, the Indian team will not play ODI cricket before October this year when the Indian team will play against Australia in a three-match ODI series in Australia. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra sees Shubman Gill, who was recently sprinted as Indian T20I vice-captain, as the next Indian ODI captain with the decision regarding the appointment already being made.
“Good question, because the rumor mill is active. It was said that Shreyas Iyer would become the captain, that he would pip Shubman Gill to the post. Sir, where do you get it? In my opinion, the next (ODI) captain has been decided without a formal appointment. It has been decided that it would be Shubman Gill. He is the Test captain. He has been made T20I vice-captain, maybe not out of turn as they had a logic, but Axar Patel hadn’t done anything wrong, and no one felt that the spot would automatically go to him, and you could have argued against it as well. If he has been made the T20I vice-captain, he is already the ODI vice-captain. So don’t ask the question. Shubman Gill is going to be the next captain.” Chopra said on his Youtube channel.
Why Gill has edge over Shreyas Iyer
The last couple of years have also seen the likes of Shreyas Iyer too having fine form in ODIs for India. Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year apart from taking Punjab Kings to their second IPL final this year, was not part of the Indian T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. Iyer, who has so far played in 70 ODIs amassing 2845 runs for India, too has been in fine form in the ODI format too recently. The 30-year-old scored a total of 243 runs during India’s title winning campaign in Champions Trophy this year and was the highest run-scorer in the tournament. Iyer has scored a total of 424 runs in ODI format for India this year. When asked about chances of Iyer being made the next Indian ODI captain, Chopra was of the view that Gill will be having an edge. Gill had scored 754 runs in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and Chopra also counted that in favour of Gill.
“It’s very difficult to say because the job Shreyas has done has been absolutely outstanding. He won KKR the final and took Punjab to the final. I think he could have been the next in line for captaincy, but Shubman Gill’s records are not bad either. He took the Gujarat Titans to the playoffs in his second year and drew the Test series in England. He is also someone who leads by example, leading from the front, and who scores runs. A leader doesn’t ask you to do what he says. A leader says ‘do as I do.’ So you set the example, and Shubman Gill does that job. I am not going to choose one. Shreyas Iyer is a phenomenal skipper, but Shubman Gill is not bad either,” Chopra added.
Earlier last week, former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif too had supported Gill as Indian ODI captain but only after Rohit Sharma steps down from captaincy. “In the last three years, Gill has scored 2,000 runs. He is the future captain. He is already leading the Test team, and is now vice-captain in T20Is. When Rohit, who is almost 38, steps down after the 2027 World Cup, Gill will be ready to take over,” Kaif had said on his YouTube channel.
