"Be ready for more bad news" - Sunil Gavaskar drops bombshell after Rohit Sharma's sacking

Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar opened up about the decision to remove veteran opener Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain ahead of the three-match series against Australia. Gavaskar stated that the selection committee made the right move but warned that it could be the beginning of "more bad news."

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Shubman Gill as ODI captain with the 2027 World Cup in mind. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may have limited chances of featuring in the tournament due to age. Rohit will be 40 and Kohli 38 when the World Cup is hosted in Africa.

Don't Know Whether Rohit Sharma Will Be Ready - Sunil Gavaskar

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Tests and T20Is. They will play only ODIs in international cricket, making preparation for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa challenging. Sunil Gavaskar stated that Rohit would likely agree with the decision to appoint Shubman Gill as captain.

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Gavaskar added that India plays very few ODIs each year, and Rohit wouldn’t get enough match practice to perform in a major tournament, which justified grooming Gill as the future captain.

"We don't know whether Rohit Sharma will be ready for the 2027 World Cup. He only plays ODIs now, and if we see the international calendar, the Indian team isn't playing too many ODIs," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.

"Bilateral tours mostly include Tests and T20Is. If he only plays 5-7 ODIs in a year, he won't get that kind of practice, which you need for a big tournament like a World Cup. If his place in the team isn't certain, the decision to prepare Shubman Gill was taken," he added.

Even Rohit Sharma Agrees With This Decision - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar also recalled Rohit Sharma’s past achievements, including winning the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup. He added that the selection committee is focusing on preparing a young captain, Shubman Gill, for the team’s future over the next two years.

"Team comes first. Personally, he has done a lot – won us the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup before that. There's no two ways about his captaincy," Gavaskar continued.

"But even he (Rohit Sharma) agrees with this decision because if you need to think two years ahead, then a young captain needs to be prepared. And this is the thought process the selection committee went ahead with."

Be Ready For More Bad News - Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar also said that Rohit’s removal as India’s ODI captain is the start of “more bad news” for the team. He stated that players who are unsure about their availability or preparation over the next two years face challenges.

"Of course. If you are non-committal, if you can't say whether you’ll be ready for the next two years, be ready [for more bad news]," Gavaskar opined.

"Even they are aware that if they only have to play ODI, there are rarely any. For that, they need to practice more and play something like the Vijay Hazare Trophy. This is possibly why they have taken that stance."

India are scheduled to play at least 27 ODIs before the 2027 World Cup, with more matches that can be added. However, the team will play more T20Is during this period. Rohit and Virat are also unlikely to participate in domestic cricket like the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

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