Shubman Gill has become the new India ODI captain.
Seeing Rohit, one of India's most recognized cricketers, being relegated, former India batter Mohammed Kaif sharply criticized Agarkar's decision, which Head Coach Gautam Gambhir was allegedly in agreement with.
Kaif, a loud critic and analyst of the game, posted a video on Instagram in which he went on a rant about the BCCI's decision to fire Rohit as the team's ODI captain.
"Rohit Sharma ne Hindustan ko 16 saal diye aur hum unko ek saal nahi de paaye bataur captain. (Rohit Sharma gave 16 years to India, and we couldn't give him even one more year as captain.) In 16 ICC event matches, he won 15 and lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia,” Kaif stated in an Instagram video.
Kaif also mentioned Rohit's recent achievements in the ICC Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup, when he played an important role in the team's title win.
"Champions Trophy ka jo last match tha Dubai mein, player of the match the Rohit Sharma. Waha trophy jeeta ke laye, 2024 trophy World Cup mein, waha jeeti Bharat, waha unke naam trophy. Baddapan dikhaya ki waha retirement le lia, ki chalo 2024 ka World Cup hum jeet gaye, ab naye players ko aane do. Thoda din limelight se bahar the, koi aur aaye kaaptani kari. Jab player aaye to unki jagah chali gayi." (In the last match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai, Rohit Sharma was the Player of the Match. There, he brought the trophy home. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India won the trophy, and the trophy is in his name. He showed greatness by retiring there, saying, 'We've won the 2024 World Cup; now let new players come in.' He stayed out of the limelight for some time; someone else captained. When new players came, he lost his place.” Kaif added.
Mohammad Kaif stated that Shubman Gill has the potential to become a strong captain, but stated that the decision to make him captain in place of Rohit Sharma was taken too early.
"Hindustan mein example hain ki jab tak aapka daur chal raha hain na, aap usko khicte raho, par Rohit Sharma ne aisa kaam nahi kiya. Players banaye, players ko sikhaya, samhala, sawara, under pressure waha pe cheeze unko batayi. Par hum unko ek saal...2027 ka jo World Cup hain, kaaptani unko nahi di gay, hata diye gaye woh. Ek saal unko atirikt hum de nahi paaye. Shubman Gill takeover karenge. Shubman Gill yuva hain, naye hain, aur achhe kaaptan ban sakte hain. Par har cheez mein jaldbaazi karne ka absyakta kya hain?" (In India, there are examples of people stretching their time; Rohit Sharma did not do that. He made players, taught them, backed them, and mentored them to perform under pressure. But we could not give him one year. For the 2027 World Cup, he will not lead the team; he has been removed. We couldn't give him one additional year. Shubman Gill will take over. Gill is young, fresh, and could be a good captain, but there is no necessity to fast-track everything,” Kaif concluded.
Here is the video: