"His heart will not be in it" - Former batter's massive claim on Rohit Sharma's chances of playing 2027 World Cup

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has weighed in on Rohit Sharma’s prospects of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup. His comments come after Rohit was relieved of the captaincy, with Shubman Gill appointed as the new ODI skipper ahead of the three-match series against Australia, starting October 19.

On Sunday, October 5, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that with Rohit no longer leading, it would be challenging for him to focus solely on opening, given how he has grown into a leader and guided his players over the past three to four years. The 44-year-old added:

“Now it will be match by match, series by series. The field is equal for everyone. Now, who knows how much he will even want to play? Once a player has tasted captaincy, once a player has had the experience of lifting two shining trophies in eight months, and develops a passion for it, he will not be able to focus only as an opener. His heart will not be in it. He has become a leader, a leader who manages the team, picks the team, uses players wisely like an elder brother, and makes tactical moves to change the game.”

Rohit Sharma captained India in 56 ODIs, winning 42 of them, and led the team to glory in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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“He is still learning many things” - Mohammad Kaif on Shubman Gill replacing Rohit Sharma as ODI skipper

In the same video, Mohammad Kaif opined that Shubman Gill is still learning the nuances of leadership and suggested that he should have been handed the ODI reins only after the 2027 World Cup. Kaif remarked:

“It will be a loss for Gill. If Gill had spent another six months with Rohit Sharma, he would have learned the nuances of captaincy because you also groom a captain. Just recently, Shubman Gill was captain in the IPL during the league phase, and they were at the top. But as soon as the pressure came, they lost the last three matches.”

“They lost in the eliminator as well. The bottom team from Lucknow beat Gujarat in the later matches. Mumbai, which was playing so well on and off, defeated Gujarat in the eliminator. I am seeing that even now, Gill is not the finished product. He is still learning many things, as we saw in the IPL. So I feel he has not yet become a mature captain,” he added.

Mohammad Kaif continued:

“Make him captain after 2027. I mean, whenever you have a proven leader(Rohit Sharma), a well-prepared captain ready, someone who has won 15 out of 16 matches in ICC events, and every match in an ICC event carries pressure, that is a huge test for a captain. And he passed it.”

Shubman Gill will return to action on Friday, October 10, when India host the West Indies for the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.