Shubman Gill sets sight on target that Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli couldn't achieve as ODI captains

Shubman Gill sets sight on target that Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli couldn't achieve as ODI captains (PTI Photo)

Shubman Gill was appointed as the new ODI captain on Saturday, replacing Rohit Sharma at the helm. His stint in this new role will begin in the upcoming ODIs against Australia, starting from October 19 in Perth. The Men In Blue will engage in a full-fledged white-ball series Down Under, featuring three ODIs and five T20Is.

Rohit also is part of the ODI squad but he and Virat Kohli will only feature as players. The duo have already retired from Test and T20I and ODI remains the only format they take part in. However, the latest development certainly raises question about their international future.

This will also be Rohit and Kohli's first appearance in the international circuit after a long gap of seven months. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which India won under the leadership of Rohit, was their last appearance in Indian colours.

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Gill certainly has big shoes to fill, and reflecting on his new responsibility he didn't hesitate from revealing his ambitions, something both Rohit and Kohli couldn't do as the captain in the 50-over format. "It is the biggest honour to be able to lead your country in the One Day and to be able to lead a side that has done well. It's an immense pride for me. I hope I will be able to do great. I think we have about 20 ODIs before we play the World Cup, and obviously the ultimate goal is the World Cup in South Africa," he said in a video shared by BCCI.

"So everything that we play, all the players that we play, we are going to try our best to be able to have a great season before we get to the World Cup, and hopefully we will be fully ready when we go to South Africa and win that World Cup," he added.

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While Kohli failed to deliver a single ICC trophy during his long stint as the captain, Rohit won two titles (T20 World Cup 2024 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025). He also raised hopes of a third ODI World Cup title, which were crushed by Australia in the finals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, Gill has already proved his credentials as a skipper during the England tour earlier this year, where he led a young Indian unit to a 2-2 draw in the five-match Test series. Then Gill led the side from the front and amassed 754 runs from five matches, which was the highest by any batter in the series.