Shubman Gill or Shreyas Iyer - who should lead India if Rohit Sharma retires from ODIs before the 2027 World Cup?

Shubman Gill, India's new Test captain, could be in the reckoning to lead the team in ODIs as well, should Rohit Sharma bid adieu to the format before the 2027 ODI World Cup. Recent reports have claimed that Rohit is not a certain starter for the marquee ICC event.

The veteran may reportedly have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy or India A matches to hold onto his spot in the side. Notably, Rohit retired from T20Is and Tests and is only playing the 50-over format, where he is still India's captain.

However, should he retire from ODIs before the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Men in Blue would need a new leader. Multiple names are doing the rounds to take over from Rohit, including Shubman Gill.

Shreyas Iyer is another possible choice the management could look at. He has been successful recently as a captain in domestic and IPL cricket.

Who among the two should lead India if Rohit walks away from international cricket?

---

Shubman Gill's IPL and India captaincy experience

England v India - 5th Rothesay Test Match: Day Five - Source: Getty

Although only 25, Shubman Gill already has a fair bit of exposure to captaincy under pressure and at the highest level. Gill took over as captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2024, where they finished eighth and failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, in the 2025 edition, GT made it to the top four but lost in the Eliminator.

He has led in 27 IPL matches so far, and with 14 wins and 13 defeats, he has a win percentage of 51.85. Shubman Gill is now also India's Test captain, and his first assignment was the recently concluded five-match series against England. The visitors leveled the series 2-2, a result that marked an impressive and promising start to his journey as captain in the longest format.

It was a tough series with significant pressure on a new captain who had a relatively young and inexperienced side. Therefore, even in the 50-over format, captaincy at the highest level would not be something new to Gill.

---

Shreyas Iyer's stellar run as captain in domestic cricket and IPL

2025 IPL: Final - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings - Source: Getty

On the other hand, it may not be a straightforward choice to ignore Shreyas Iyer. He has emerged as a prominent leader across formats and various leagues. Shreyas led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title in 2024. In the 2025 edition, he led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final, their first-ever since 2014.

Notably, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was KKR's mentor in 2024, highlighting that the duo have worked together successfully in the past.

The previous domestic season was fruitful for Shreyas as skipper. He led Mumbai to the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and added another T20 tournament win to his record as captain. He led in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, but Mumbai finished third in Group C and fell short of the knockouts.

Post IPL 2025, he led the SOBO Mumbai Falcons in the 2025 T20 Mumbai League, where his side reached the final but could not lift the trophy. However, Shreyas has been consistent as a leader and has proven his skills.

---

Who should lead India then?

While Shreyas Iyer has performed incredibly well as captain in recent times, Shubman Gill could be the preferred choice to replace Rohit as ODI captain. Gill could come in as a long-term leader, being younger than Shreyas.

Moreover, having a single captain for two formats could make things smoother and easier than having different captains across all three formats. It would only make sense to appoint Gill as ODI skipper, given he has already taken over the role in Test cricket.

He has also seemingly built a rapport with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Further, Gill led from the front as skipper in England, amassing 754 runs with four hundreds. As the Gujarat captain, he also scored 650 runs from 15 games in IPL 2025.

Notably, both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are likely mainstays in ODIs. That said, it may not be a factor of concern as to who would lead the side. One could take up the captaincy role, while the other could be named vice-captain.