Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has made sensational allegations about the selection of the Indian team for the upcoming three ODI series against Australia. He has claimed that Rohit Sharma, the captain who recently won the Champions Trophy for India and was the ‘Player of the Match’ in the final, has been removed as captain without any reason and in his place Shubman Gill has been made the captain of the ODI team.
Intention to take away the captaincy: Kaif argued that head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar had already decided that Rohit Sharma should not be given the captaincy. According to Kaif, the only intention of this decision was to take away the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
Pressure on Gill: Kaif claimed, ‘No cricketer asks for captaincy from the selection committee. Captaincy is given to the player. Gill may not have expected the captaincy either, but the selection committee must have told him directly that we are making you captain in the ODI team. Gill had to accept the captaincy reluctantly.’
Mohammad Kaif criticized the selection committee’s logic, saying, ‘Rohit Sharma made India a champion in his last tournament as captain and played a ‘player of the match’ innings of 76 runs in the final against New Zealand. “If he is still successful as a captain and a batsman, then I don’t understand the reason for removing him as captain.’ According to Kaif, this decision has given a clear message to Rohit Sharma that he is not in the plans for the 2027 World Cup.
