Former India National Cricket Team player Mohammad Kaif has predicted when the ODI skipper Rohit Sharma will announce his retirement from 50-over cricket.
Mohammad Kaif has also predicted the name of the player who will be the successor of Rohit Sharma as ODI skipper once he ends his international career.
I believe will retire after the 2027 ODI World Cup – Mohammad Kaif Rohit Sharma
India National Cricket Team modern-day legend Rohit Sharma was the all-format captain not long ago. However, he announced his retirement from T20Is on a high after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 and walked away from Test cricket on a low before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.
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In the last two years, Rohit Sharma has led India to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy triumphs, and his dream of winning the 50-over World Cup remains unfulfilled.
He came very close to fulfilling his dream in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 when India reached the final without losing a game and then……. 19th November happened.
Meanwhile, Mohmmad Kaif has opined that Rohit Sharma will continue his bid to bag a 50-over World Cup title and will only say goodbye to the ODI format after playing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.
Mohammad Kaif added that Shubman Gill will take over as the India ODI captain after Rohit retires.
“In the last three years, Gill has scored 2,000 runs. He is the future captain. He is the Test captain, and in T20Is, he is the vice-captain. Rohit is the ODI captain. He is almost 38 and I believe will retire after the 2027 ODI World Cup. When he steps away, Gill will become the captain,” he said on his YouTube channel.
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Shubman Gill becomes India’s leader across formats
The Punjab lad Shubman Gill has already positioned himself as an all-format player at the age of 25 and has become a part of India’s leadership group in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
Gill was appointed as the Test skipper ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy when Rohit Sharma retired, and he is currently the vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is.
Reportedly, the BCCI is grooming him as the all-format captain, and he will soon take over ODI and T20I captaincy from Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav if the duo’s performance with the bat is not up to the mark.
Notably, Gill was just recently brought back into the T20I squad for the Asia Cup 2025 and named the vice-captain, replacing Axar Patel in the role, as the all-rounder was Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in the last T20I series against England.
Shubman Gill’s appointment as vice-captain is a problem for Axar Patel
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, former India opener Aakash Chopra said that the appointment of Gill as vice-captain could lead to Axar Patel’s snub from the India T20I playing XI. He explained:
“There is another twist in the tale. When Shubman Gill opens, Sanju Samson loses his place, but how will you fit Axar Patel as the keeper will come in the middle? It means the middle order you had of Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Axar, and after that, Shivam Dube, one of them will be Jitesh Sharma.
“As soon as Jitesh Sharma comes, what is Axar Patel’s mistake? I don’t think he will get to bat up the order, although he has done well whenever he has batted up the order, and in bowling as well. However, he has been made slightly dispensable now, which is a sad thing. Why did you make him the vice-captain?” he added.
