Ahmedabad: Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India’s ODI captain as the “biggest honour”, expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.
In a significant move Saturday, the Indian selectors removed Rohit from ODI captaincy and handed over the reins to young Test skipper Gill, keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind.
“It’s the biggest honour to be able to lead your country in the one-day and to be able to lead a side, you know that has done so well, it’s immense pride for me, and I hope I’ll be able to do great,” Gill said in his first reactions after being named captain on bcci.tv.
The bold move by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel also signalled a generational shift, with Rohit and Virat Kohli, who have retired from Test and T20I formats, unlikely to feature in India’s scheme of things for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
The decision came just after Gill led India to a massive innings-and-140-run victory over the West Indies, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series, his first at home as captain.
For Gill, Ahmedabad carries special significance having led in the IPL for the first time here as the captain of Gujarat Titans.
“It’s difficult to put in words. This state is very special for me. From captaining my IPL team, then getting to know that I”ll be Test captain, I was here and then my first Test at home, leading the side in Ahmedabad, this venue has always been very special for me,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gill has set his sights firmly on the 2027 World Cup and has his roadmap ready.
“I think we have about 20 ODIs before we play the World Cup and obviously the ultimate goal is the World Cup in South Africa, so everything that we play, and all the players that we play they are going to try their best, and we’re going to try our best to be able to have a great season before we get to the World Cup.
“Hopefully, we will be fully ready when we go to South Africa and win that World Cup,” he added.
Under Rohit’s leadership, India strung together a 10-match winning streak at the 2023 ODI World Cup at home before faltering in the final against Australia. Since that heartbreak, the Men in Blue have lost only once in 12 ODIs — to South Africa — and lifted the Champions Trophy earlier this year on the back of a five-match winning run.
Gill, meanwhile, has made a stunning start to his captaincy career. In his debut Test series as skipper against England, a new-look India minus Rohit, Kohli and R Ashwin drew 2-2, with Gill amassing over 700 runs with the bat.
Over five Tests, the right-hander scored four centuries and 754 runs, the highest-ever tally in a series between India and England. He surpassed Graham Gooch’s 752 in 1990 and broke Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record of 732 runs as captain against the West Indies in 1978-79.
Gill also became the first Asian batter to score more than 700 runs in a series in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), eclipsing Virat Kohli’s 692 runs from the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
His numbers put him within striking distance of Sir Donald Bradman’s legendary 810-run mark for a captain in a single series.
PTI