Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer thrown aside! MS Dhoni's man picked as India's ODI captain
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Former Chennai Super Kings batter Subramaniam Badrinath has backed CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad over the likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as Rohit Sharma's ideal successor for ODI captaincy.
Ever since, Rohit Sharma has been deemed doubtful to star for India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 due to concerns of his increasing age and decreasing fitness; several names have popped up in the race for India captaincy.
As of now, India has Shubman Gill as the Test skipper, Rohit as the ODI skipper, and Suryakumar Yadav leading the T20I side. However, Indian selectors have identified that only the one captain model brings in fortune for India across ICC tournaments.
CSK star Ruturaj Gaikwad cited as India's ODI captain over Shubman Gill
Recent reports have claimed that Indian selectors are reviewing options to make a captaincy swap in the ODI format as well; however, there have not been many options that have crept into the heads of Indian fans, as well as cricket greats.
They have cited the likes of Test skipper Shubman Gill or sensational middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer as India's next captain to match Rohit Sharma's legacy in ODI cricket. Though matching the Indian greats' legacy seems far away, still, these players have the calibre to achieve big things.
Subramaniam Badrinath, the former CSK batter, has made a startling claim with a startling comparison. He has claimed that CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad should be roped in as India's next captain if Rohit Sharma retires.
He further added that Gaikwad is a mixture of Rohit's composure and Virat's aggression, a mixture of Rohit's explosive strokeplay and Virat Kohli's finesse.
"If Rohit Sharma retires, then Ruturaj Gaikwad should be the Captain for the ODI WC 2027. He is the mixture of Rohit and Virat," stated Badrinath in quotes that went viral on social media.
Far from Captaincy - Gaikwad has been on a quest for a Team India spot
The remarks might not be given any importance, especially because Shubman Gill, the Indian skipper in red-ball cricket and a constant in ODIs, would never face competition from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is yet to play an entire ODI series for India.
Gaikwad, the Maharashtra batter, has been fighting hard to get an opportunity to break into the India squad but still has not made it to any of the formats. The right-handed batter has excelled in the T20I format for India, scoring 633 runs in his short stint with India, which comprised only 23 games.
He has 1 T20I century and 4 half-centuries, but in ODIs, he has averaged just 19.16 with 115 runs in 6 matches and one half-century. Though the batter has proved his limited-overs calibre with the List A performances, where he averages 56.15 and has amassed 4324 runs with the highest score of 220*. This makes his List A record more impressive than even Shubman Gill's.
CSK have hinted towards retaining Gaikwad as skipper for IPL 2026
Keeping aside India plans, Ruturaj Gaikwad will have a series of big opportunities coming up after he withdrew from the County Championship owing to personal issues. The batter has played for the Chennai Super Kings for years and is now deemed their future skipper.
Though nothing has been made official, a poster lauding Gaikwad was found on the CSK official Social media page, which almost affirmed that he would remain the skipper for the upcoming season as well.
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Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Ruturaj Gaikwad Shubman Gill Shreyas Iyer Rohit Sharma Chennai Super Kings ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 Subramaniam Badrinath
