Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as India ODI captain starting Australia series.
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar spoke on the rumors that have pitted new captain Shubman Gill against ex-captain Rohit Sharma. The most ludicrous concept that emerges from it appears to be Rohit scoring less purposefully in order to ensure Gill's white-ball captaincy.
Gavaskar has refuted the theory, arguing that no player 'wouldn't perform' if his own position in the club was at stake. And when it comes to Rohit, this is especially relevant given all of the speculation about his future and chances of playing in the 2027 World Cup.
"Over the years, a significant misconception among Indian cricket fans is that if a player is replaced as captain, he will attempt to undermine the new captain by not performing to the best of his ability. Nothing can be further from the truth, for the simple fact is that if a captain has been replaced and then doesn’t perform, he could be out of the team altogether. So, no player, however aggrieved he may feel at losing the captaincy, is ever going to underperform deliberately," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.
Captaining the Indian cricket team is undoubtedly the most difficult job in India after leading the country. With Gill taking over, it would be intriguing to see how he handles the experienced former captains Kohli and Rohit.
Gill has previously acknowledged those two's contributions, ensuring that there is just confidence and reliance. In fact, Gavaskar reminded Kohli and Rohit that they would do everything they could to ensure a smooth handover.
"With that misconception still going strong, many are questioning if young Shubman Gill will be able to handle two former captains, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are part of the three-match One-Day International series against Australia. Gill has gone out of his way to say that his equation with them hasn’t changed simply because he is the captain now. If anything, he will only benefit by having these two stalwarts by his side. Both would be happy to offer suggestions if asked, and what could be better for a captain leading in this format for the first time than to have two of the greatest ODI players playing in his team?" he added.
Rohit Sharma had scored 8 runs on his return to the India ODI side, while Virat Kohli made a duck in 8 balls in the first ODI in Perth. The two sides will meet in the second ODI in Adelaide on October 23.