'Shubman Gill will be next ODI captain': Shreyas Iyer’s dreams shattered
Table of Contents
Indian opener Shubman Gill, who has been in talks for replacing veteran batter Rohit Sharma as India's next ODI skipper, received uncanny backing from Aakash Chopra, who declared he has already been decided as the next skipper and only awaits his appointment.
Gill was India's vice-captain when Rohit Sharma was still the captain of the Indian side in the 2025 Champions Trophy, the last big ICC tournament for India. However, a few reports also claimed that Shreyas Iyer could also be handed the captaincy after Rohit announces his ODI retirement.
Aakash Chopra names Rohit Sharma's successor in ODIs
In his recent YouTube video, Aakash Chopra has shed light on the cricketer who has already been decided as the skipper of the Indian team.
"Good question, because the rumour markets are hot. It was said that Shreyas Iyer would become the captain, that he would pip Gill to the post. Sir, from where do you get it? In my opinion, the next captain has been decided without an appointment. It has been decided that it would be Shubman Gill," he responded
Shubman Gill is going to be the next captain - Aakash Chopra
Chopra went on to highlight the fact that the Indian vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup shows that he is being considered as an all-format skipper in future events.
"He is the Test captain. He has been made T20I vice-captain, maybe not out of turn as they had a logic, but Axar Patel hadn't done anything wrong, and no one felt that the spot would automatically go to him, and you could have argued against it as well."
"If he has been made the T20I vice-captain, he is already the ODI vice-captain. So don't ask the question. Shubman Gill is going to be the next captain," he observed.
Aakash chooses the better skipper between Shreyas and Shubman Gill
When asked to choose who could be the better skipper between Shreyas Iyer and Gill, he said it would be very tough to make a choice between the two players.
"It's very difficult to say because the job Shreyas has done has been absolutely outstanding. He won KKR the final and took Punjab to the final. I think he could have been the next in line for captaincy, but Shubman Gill's records are not bad either. He took the Gujarat Titans to the playoffs in the second year and drew the series in England," he replied
He played it safe, choosing neither over the other while claiming that both players have equal merit in the game.
"He is also someone who is leading by example, leading from the front, who scores runs. A leader doesn't ask you to do what he says. A leader says do as I do. So you set the example and Shubman Gill does that job. I am not going to choose one. Shreyas Iyer is a phenomenal skipper, but Shubman Gill is not bad either," Chopra observed.
ALSO READ: Ajinkya Rahane issues colossal statement after Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement
