Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has backed Shubman Gill to take over the ODI captaincy when Rohit Sharma decides to step down as the skipper in the format.
Notably, Rohit, who is currently 38, will be approaching 40 by the start of the 2027 ODI World Cup and Kaif is not sure how long the veteran India opener would continue in the 50-over format.
“He [Gill] will get the ODI captaincy as well because we don’t know how long Rohit Sharma will continue as captain. Gill is ready to take over. He scores in white-ball. He has performed well as captain here in Tests and led from the front,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“When you go with a young team, you have to do both things – score with the bat and do well as captain. A brilliant tour for him overall,” he added.
During the recently concluded England series which India drew 2-2, Gill was tested as a captain and he passed that flying colours.
“Shubman Gill, as captain, created opportunities with both hands in this series. When he became captain, there were many questions as to why he was made captain, looking at his Test record. A young captain reached England under a lot of pressure with a young team. He answered with his bat and it came to a point where he was compared to breaking Sir Don Bradman’s record. Such a strong comeback with the bat,” Kaif said.
After the gruelling 25 days of Test cricket, Team India will get a well-deserved break, with no Test or limited-over matches scheduled until the Asia Cup 2025, which starts in September. It’s a rare lengthy break for the Indian cricket team and fans will have to wait for some time to see their favourite stars in action.