"To plan with three different people is never easy" - Ajit Agarkar's massive statement after Shubman Gill replaces Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain

Team India chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that the idea behind appointing Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain was to avoid having three different captains for each format. Following Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20Is and Test cricket in the space of a year, the Men in Blue went from an all-format captain to a different captain for each format.

Suryakumar Yadav took over as the T20I skipper after the 2024 T20 World Cup, while Shubman Gill was appointed Test captain ahead of the England tour in July 2025. Rohit Sharma continued as the ODI captain, even leading the side to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year.

The veteran opening batter, however, has been removed from the leadership role, with the team management eyeing a long-term project with Shubman Gill taking over the longer formats, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant as deputies at the moment. The ace batter was also recently named as the T20I vice-captain ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 campaign.

Ajit Agarkar outlined how planning becomes difficult for coaches and team management when there are three different captains to work with.

"It is practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats. Just in terms of planning. It is also a format which is played the least now. So, you actually don't get much games to give the next guy that much time to prepare himself or plan. We are still two years away still. The last one-day game we played was March 8, and the next one is on October 19. So, it is a bit of a challenge in ODI at the moment. For the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy," Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference (via Jio Hotstar).

Agarkar was asked by a reporter how Rohit Sharma took the news of his captaincy reign coming to an end.

"That is a conversation between me and Rohit, yaar," the selector replied.

Gill's recent appointment as ODI skipper on top of his Test captaincy and T20I vice-captaincy makes him one of the first names on the team sheet regardless of the format or the assignment. Given the intense international cricketing schedule throughout the year on top of franchise cricket, his new role hardly gives him any room for a break.

Agarkar noted that burnout is a legitimate concern for Shubman Gill, but justified the team management's ploy by stating that the player is capable, and up for the task.

"Hopefully not, he is still quite young. We saw what he did in England under immense pressure, so there were real positive signs there. We have seen his record in ODI cricket as a batter. We hope there is no burnout. It is true that there is a lot of cricket coming in thick and fast over the next few months. We will try to manage him as best as we can. But you also want to give the guy enough time," Agarkar said.

Gill has a jam-packed schedule lined-up, starting with the tour of Australia, which will be followed by a lengthy home season which includes all-format matches against South Africa and New Zealand, before the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"People tend to forget how good he is" - Ajit Agarkar on Yashasvi Jaiswal amid top-order selection conundrum

There were reports suggesting the potential inclusion of southpaws Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma in the ODI setup for the Australia tour. The pair are currently part of the India 'A' setup, partaking in a home series against Australia 'A'.

Abhishek Sharma is currently locked in as one of the primary batters in the T20I side, while Tilak Varma's last ODI appearance came during the South Africa tour in 2023.

Addressing the duo's absence, Agarkar mentioned that there is no vacancy in the top-order, also reminding everyone that Yashasvi Jaiswal is waiting on the sidelines.

"At the moment, Gill and Rohit will open. There is Yashasvi Jaiswal, you know, people tend to forget how good he is as well. Tilak is very close, we have taken a 15-man squad, it is a three-match series. It is not like a Test series where you can carry a little extra. They are both excellent players, but at this point, there is no real place," the former player stated.

India's tour of Australia kicks off with the first ODI at the Optus Stadium in Perth on October 19.