At 37 and not in the best form with him crashing down the road before the Champions Trophy, speculation about captain Rohit Sharma’s future with the Indian side has been endless. But then again, come Wednesday, Rohit has reason to be focused on what needs doing, effectively quelling speculation about him into submission.
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are gearing up once more into their One Day International (ODI) shoes, looking the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 squarely in the eye with the series against England
Kohli and Rohit luckily still remain among only three players from India’s Champions Trophy-winning side that beat England at Edgbaston in 2013. However, those two stalwarts of India’s batting unit are left struggling too much at this point.
While the duo could not shine on the longest tour of the game between Australia and the home so far, they are still looking for opportunities to get back in the runs in the domestic circuit.
On the eve of the first ODI against England, Rohit was troubled with queries regarding his future with the Indian team: ones he kept mum on and instead focused on the task ahead on Wednesday.
“When there are three ODIs and a Champions Trophy coming up, how is the aspect relevant for me to talk about my future plan? I have been reading such reports for years. I am not here to clarify them,” said Rohit in the pre-match press conference.
“For me, the three games (against England) and the Champions Trophy are important. My focus is on these games, and I will cross the bridge when I get to it,” the Indian captain said.
The Indian side will next tour England in June to play a five-match Test series, the first series of their next World Championship period, after the Champions Trophy.
Getting worried about his form in Test cricket, the batter on the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 -25 in Australia managed only 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20.
This opened up the transition of the Indian team, whereby the Indian team management decided on the next phase of identifying a long-term successor captain to Rohit Sharma.
Rohit had already held talks with the selection committee regarding what he would do post the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he will lead India.
According to TOI, if everything proceeds as planned, the selectors might like to see the transition start from both the Test and the ODI formats, keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind.
Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal are potential candidates for the leadership positions in the Tests and ODIs. There is also the probability that Gill could, in the near future, be elevated from his current position as vice-captain in ODIs to full-time captaincy.
