Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar said that he was disappointed to see doubts arising about star opening batter Rohit Sharma’s spot in India’s ODI squad in the run-up to the 2027 ICC World Cup. The 39-year-old is India's third-leading ODI run-scorer with almost 12,000 runs, including 34 centuries, in 288 matches.
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India also won the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. However, since being removed from captaincy after the Champions Trophy win, Rohit Sharma’s spot in the Indian ODI squad has always been questioned.
This question became more serious after Rohit Sharma failed in the first two ODIs of the recent ODI series against England. However, Rohit silenced the doubts with a breathtaking 138 off 110 balls in the Lord's ODI.
“It is very unfortunate because he has consistently scored runs in big games and won so many matches for India. Yet, questions continue to be raised about his ability, which is disappointing. As for whether Rohit Sharma will play in the next World Cup, I don’t know. There is still a lot of cricket left in him, and it will depend on his performances and fitness. But I certainly believe there is a spot for him among the openers,” Dilip Vengsarkar talked about Rohit Sharma’s future while conversing with RevSportz.
Vengsarkar was also praiseful of Rohit’s opening partner in ODIs and India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill. However, he raised doubts about Shubman Gill becoming India’s captain in all three formats.
"Very difficult to say in all formats. The thing is that you have to pick the best XI and then pick the captain because the captain should be an automatic choice in the playing XI. Shubman Gill is a fantastic player. I like his batting and his style as well. The way he led the side in England was simply unbelievable. He did so well as a captain and as a batsman,” the legendary batter added.
Shubman Gill took over as India’s Test and ODI captain in 2025, and Shreyas Iyer replaced Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain.
According to Dilip Vengsarkar, the head coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, has a limited role in relation to the team's performance since the players are more influential when it comes to winning or losing matches. After Gambhir became the head coach in 2024, there have been ups and downs for India.
The Indian team has won two ICC tournaments in white-ball cricket but has faced many poor Test series performances against countries like New Zealand and South Africa at home.
"A coach can play a part in planning and strategizing for the match and the training sessions. But that is where his role ends. Then the players have to implement those plans on the ground. If the players don’t implement them, that determines victory or defeat. So, the coach’s job is limited in the sense that he can do only so much outside the field. The players have to implement the plans," said Vengsarkar on Gambhir.
Finally, Vengsarkar had high praise for chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
"He has done a good job and taken some good decisions. We have won two World Cups and the Champions Trophy. So, that’s a good thing. That’s a good performance by the selectors as well. Selectors don’t get that much credit, which I think they should. Ajit deserves credit for what he has done,” Vengsarkar said.
Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief of the BCCI selection panel ends on October 4, and reportedly, he has not asked for any extension.
(RevSportz inputs)
