A significant leadership change in the ODI structure is what the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is seeking. In place of experienced Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, who is currently India’s Test captain and T20I vice-captain, will be chosen the next ODI captain. In the forthcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins on October 19, Shubman Gill will captain the squad. During the tour, Rohit and Virat Kohli will make their eagerly anticipated comebacks to international cricket after a more than seven-month hiatus.
India’s ODI team has been captained by Rohit since December 2021. During his full-time captaincy, the 38-year-old captained India in 56 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), winning 42 and losing just 12. His leadership brought about a number of significant events, such as the 2023 Asia Cup as full-time captain, the 2018 Asia Cup as stand-in captain, and most recently, the 2025 Champions Trophy, in which India defeated New Zealand in Dubai. Additionally, under his leadership, India advanced to the 2023 ODI World Cup finals.
The selectors, however, are considering the long term; Shubman Gill has now been given this job, according to an ESPN article.
Preparing a youthful leader to lead India into the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia is the decision. The obvious replacement is Shubman Gill, who has already proven himself as a successful Test skipper with a fantastic series against England earlier this year. His batting totals in ODIs include a double century and 2775 runs at an average of 59.04 in 55 games.
On October 19, India’s ODI series in Australia gets underway.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two batting mainstays, will also return in the forthcoming Australia series. Both players announced their retirements from Test cricket in May of this year, leaving ODIs as their sole international format. They had already resigned from T20Is following India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Australian series’ first international assignment in more than seven months was during the Champions Trophy final in March 2025, their final appearance in India’s colours. Because of the selectors’ confidence in their background, Gill will have senior backing when he takes on his new leadership position.
India’s ODI series in Australia starts in Perth on October 19 and continues with games in Adelaide on October 23 and Sydney on October 25. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to skipper the team in the five-match T20I series that will take place from October 29 to November 8 after the ODIs. With more matches scheduled against South Africa at home in November–December and New Zealand in January, Rohit and Kohli’s final run of ODIs begins with the Australia tour.
India
