They said ‘ye paagal hai’: When Rohit Sharma was sacked as Mumbai captain after replacing Ajit Agarkar

When Rohit Sharma was sacked as Mumbai captain after replacing Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar, the national chairman of selectors, announced Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain on Saturday, ending Rohit Sharma's stint as international captain. Gill's stint will begin in two weeks in Australia when India play their first ODI since winning the ICC Champions Trophy under Rohit's leadership earlier this year.

Rohit had established an unparalleled record in international cricket since assuming the role of white-ball captain in 2021. His 73.5 win percentage is the highest by any captain, who has led in at least 100 international matches. India won two ICC trophies under Rohit's leadership - T20 World Cup 2024 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - and came very close to winning the 2023 ODI World Cup, losing the final against Australia.

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That being said, the Mumbaikar was not always seen as a capable leader of a team. Rohit was dismissed early in his career by Mumbai cricket circles for being a "mad and moody" captain, according to former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who recalled an incident that occurred 13 years ago.

Then Rohit was not a regular member of India's ODI and Test teams. And Nayar described how Rohit was removed from the Mumbai Ranji Trophy captaincy after filling in for an injured Agarkar during the season.

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“Not many people know this but Rohit was removed from captaincy when he led the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team. We won that year by the way. Ajit Agarkar was the captain. Then he got injured and Rohit came in as stand-in captain for two games. Then they said ‘ye paagal hai’ (he is delusional). That was the notion in Mumbai, that ‘cricketer unbelievable hai, but captain moody hai’,” Nayar revealed while speaking on a podcast show with Aashish Kaushik.

“Ironically, I took over from him and he played under me. When Ajit came back, Ajit was captain and I took over when he left. From that Rohit Sharma to now, oh god. I’m amazed by his vision and thought process, not only for the team but also the individuals.”

Fans and experts had differing opinions on Rohit's removal as captain, and the 38-year-old is now viewed as uncertain for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will take place in South Africa.