Mumbai: The Indian selectors are anticipated to apply the same long-term perspective to ODI captaincy as they did to Test leadership.

The next ODI World Cup is scheduled for October 2027, at which time the current captain, Rohit Sharma, will be 40 years old. The selectors are known to be inclined to give Gill the ODI captaincy as well, in order to prevent having three distinct captains across formats—Surakumar Yadav is the T20I captain—and it is hard to predict whether he would last the distance in terms of form and fitness.

The timing of the move would depend on how the workload of the all-format players is spread out in the weeks leading up to the home T20 World Cup in February 2026. Gill, 25, would be one of them, and his performance with the bat and as captain in the England Test series would also be evaluated.

The selectors are trying to address the fact that Indian cricket has a change in its leadership team, which is uncommon. The captains of all formats have been Virat Kohli and Rohit for the majority of the previous ten years. Suryakumar is now mostly regarded as a T20I expert. Rohit has retired from Tests and T20Is. The Test vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, is not a guaranteed selection in the other formats. Before Gill can claim the T20I spot as his own, he still has a lot of work to accomplish.

The most pressing priority right now is the T20 World Cup, which takes place next year, with 12 ODIs planned in the interim. Under Suryakumar's direction, all members of a selected group of players would be put through a trial. India's upcoming ODI series in Bangladesh in August has not yet been confirmed. Then there are three ODIs in Australia (October) and three more at home against South Africa (November-December) and New Zealand (January '26).

“Quite frankly, many of us believed Rohit wanted to move away from the ODI format after winning the Champions Trophy,” a BCCI official stated. “Since then, there have been no talks between Rohit and the selectors about his ODI future.”

The board representative stated that the BCCI's tribute to Rohit on X when he concluded his Test career, which stated he would continue to lead in ODIs, was merely a reflection of the current situation.

Rohit has adopted an intriguing approach to batting in recent ODIs. The 38-year-old has changed his mindset and now approaches the Powerplay overs with the same attitude as in T20Is. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, he was a success in terms of both strike rate and impactful innings. Maintaining that pace has, however, proven challenging ever since.

Despite his age, Rohit's slower reflexes on the field and constant struggle with niggles have not instilled confidence. He has played the majority of the IPL as an Impact Player and the Champions Trophy with a hamstring niggle.

Rohit has maintained time and again that he has no intention of giving up playing ODIs. "I'm not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumors are spread going forward," he stated following his victory in the Champions Trophy final in March.

"I have retired from two formats, but I am still playing one format," Rohit stated once more in May, when the Wankhede stadium named a stand after him. "It will be even more special when India plays whichever team here (in Mumbai)."

The selectors will likely make a more practical decision, but the romantics would like India to attempt another shot at ODI Cup glory under Rohit after the heartbreaking loss in the 2023 campaign's final against Australia.

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