"Why are you still keeping him in the team?" - Saba Karim questions star batter's selection for IND vs AUS 2025 ODIs

Former India cricketer and selector Saba Karim has questioned veteran Rohit Sharma’s selection for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled to begin on October 19.

On Saturday, October 4, the BCCI announced the 15-member squad, marking Rohit’s return to the team for the first time since India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph. However, the Mumbai batter was relieved of captaincy duties, with Shubman Gill named as the new skipper.

Speaking on the matter, Saba Karim questioned Rohit’s place in the squad given that he had been removed from captaincy. The 57-year-old noted that these developments suggest the selectors are not considering Rohit for the 2027 ODI World Cup, adding that the decision was abrupt and unnecessary. Saba Karim said [via KADAK]:

“If you haven’t made him the captain, then why are you still keeping him in the team? It clearly shows that you don’t see him as part of the future, that he won’t be there for the 2027 World Cup. In that case, you shouldn’t keep a player in the team whom you don’t see as part of your plans for 2027. Then whether he remains captain or not, or even a player or not, doesn’t really matter. That’s why I said the selectors have acted in great haste with Rohit Sharma, and there was no need for it.”

Rohit led India in 56 ODIs, securing 42 victories, including guiding the team to glory in the 2025 Champions Trophy. With the bat, the 38-year-old scored 2,506 runs in 55 innings at an average of 52.20, registering 17 fifties and five centuries.

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“He has the capabilities” - Saba Karim on Shubman Gill’s potential as an all-format skipper

During the same interaction, Saba Karim also added that by the next home season, Shubman Gill could become India’s all-format captain. He acknowledged Gill’s potential to take on the role and said:

“You have elevated him and even made him the vice-captain in T20s. Now that you have made him captain, the thought is that very soon, maybe by the next season, we will see Shubman Gill leading in all three formats. Looking at it this way, their thinking seems correct. They feel that there is no other capable leader, and that’s why they are pushing Shubman at this time. He has also shown good captaincy, performing well in Test cricket. Now we will see how he does in ODIs, but yes, he has the capabilities to become a captain.”

Shubman Gill will return to action on Friday, October 10, captaining India in the second Test of the two-match series against the West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.