The team management and the selectors’ call to take the ODI captaincy away from Rohit Sharma and hand it over to Shubman Gill wasn’t the “worst” decision, believes Sourav Ganguly.
The former India captain feels Rohit’s age (38) is one of the main reasons behind his removal from captaincy. By the time the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa begins, Rohit will already be 40, which is “a big number in sport”, Sourav pointed out.
Speaking on the sidelines of a promotional at a city hotel on Thursday, the current Cricket Association of Bengal president said: “I don’t know whether it’s his (Rohit’s) sacking or anything. I am sure it’s a mutual discussion, because Rohit has been an outstanding leader.
“In the last two years, he has won the T20 World Cup. He has won the Champions
Trophy (earlier this year). So, performance is not the issue with Rohit.
“I think what’s gone in the selectors’ mind is, in two years, he will be 40, when
the World Cup happens in South Africa.
“Rohit doesn’t play T20 cricket, so he will not be a part of the (T20) World Cup in 2026. But when they go to South Africa in 2027, he will be 40 years old. And that’s a big number in sport.
“He has played for so long. I don’t think anybody is sure whether Rohit will actually play when he is 40. So, I don’t think it’s the worst decision.”
Sourav added: “It happens to everyone. When I stopped playing one-day cricket, I was 37 years old. It happened to Rahul Dravid too. All of us have scored more than 10,000-11,000 runs in one-day cricket. So, it happens to everyone.”
Even Gill may face a similar scenario 10 years down the line after scoring tons of runs, but at present, it’s fair to keep grooming a young captain, Sourav stated. “There will not be any exception.
“Ten years down the line, when Shubman gets close to 40 and scores 12,000-13,000 runs, he will also have to face this situation. Because, as you know in sport, whether it’s a (Roger) Federer, whether it’s a (Pete) Sampras, a (Rafael) Nadal or a (Diego) Maradona, they will all have to finish some day.
“So, from that point of view, I think it’s not a bad decision to promote and push Shubman. He has shown a lot of talent in England, and you need to push these young boys.
“So, I think it has been done in consultation with Rohit. And somewhere down the line, I feel it’s a fair call. Rohit can keep playing, and in the meantime, you keep grooming a young captain,” the former BCCI president explained.
Does he feel both Rohit and Virat Kohli can continue till the 2027 Cup? Sourav answered: “It depends on how fit they remain and how well they keep performing.
“Whatever opportunity they get, they have to play domestic cricket. Because cricket is a sport where you have to keep playing. Otherwise, you lose the touch, the form and the contact.”