05 October,2025 08:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
India’s Virat Kohli (left) and Rohit Sharma during the second ODI against England in Cuttack on February 9. Pic/AFP
Former national chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar lauded the decision of the current Indian team selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, to appoint Test skipper Shubman Gill as the ODI team captain as well.
However, the former India captain questioned the inclusion of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are playing just one format of the game, in the 15-member ODI team for the upcoming Australia tour.
Soon after India outclassed West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test at Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon, Gill was appointed India's new ODI captain, replacing Rohit. Gill will lead the ODI team against Australia in a three-match series, starting at Perth on October 19.
"Gill is a very good all-format player. Actually, when you pick a captain, you first pick the team and then you pick the best available guy to lead the side. And I think Gill is the best person to lead the side in ODIs and Test matches because he is also good in T20s," Vengsarkar told Sunday mid-day over the phone from Dubai on Saturday.
Rohit, 38, who has already announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is, last represented the country in an ODI in March 2025, when India beat New Zealand in the final to win the Champions Trophy under his captaincy in Dubai. That match was also the last outing for Kohli, 36, who is also only playing the ODI format.
Vengsarkar, a 116-Test veteran, reckoned that it's tough to judge a player's form and fitness if he is playing in only one format. "Rohit and Virat have been great players over the years, but if you are playing just one format of the game, I believe the selectors need to take a call on this. I feel you cannot know or judge the form and fitness of such players because they've had a long layoff after the last game they have played. It's very difficult to assess their form and fitness," said Vengsarkar.
"Rohit and Virat have possibly been picked because of their great records. They have been great players and have done yeomen service to Indian cricket, having won many matches in all formats of the game. But since they have not been playing Test match cricket as well as T20s, and are playing only one format, one-day matches, which is not very often played during the season, it's very difficult to gauge their form and fitness. But since they have been picked, the selectors may have checked that, though I don't know how," added the former India skipper.
Finally, Vengsarkar hinted that players who are available for all formats, should be given more opportunities. "It's really up to the selectors whether they want to stick with Rohit and Virat or look ahead and give opportunities to those players who are available for all formats of the game. It depends on how they look at Indian cricket going ahead," concluded Vengsarkar.
India's ODI squad
S Gill (c), R Sharma, V Kohli, S Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), NK Reddy, W Sundar, K Yadav, H Rana, M Siraj, A Singh, P Krishna, D Jurel (wk), and Y Jaiswal
India's T20I squad
S Yadav (c), A Sharma, S Gill (vc), T Varma, NK Reddy, S Dube, A Patel, J Sharma (wk), V Chakravarthy, J Bumrah, A Singh, K Yadav, H Rana, S Samson (wk), R Singh, and W Sundar
