The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, announced the shock decision to sack Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain. While it was expected that Shubman Gill would eventually replace him as the team’s skipper, not many predicted that the change would be made two years before the ODI World Cup. Seeing Rohit, one of the most respected cricketers in India’s history, being demoted, former India batter Mohammed Kaif severely criticised the decision that Agarkar announced, which Head Coach Gautam Gambhir was also reportedly in agreement with.
Kaif, a vocal critic and pundit in the game at present, shared a video on Instagram in which he went on a rant, criticising the BCCI’s decision to sack Rohit as the team’s ODI captain.
He argued: “Rohit Sharma ne Hindustan ko 16 saal diye aur hum unko ek saal nahi de paaye bataur captain. (Rohit Sharma gave 16 years to India, and we couldn’t give him even one more year as captain.) In 16 ICC event matches, he won 15 and lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.”
Kaif also recalled Rohit’s recent accomplishments in the ICC Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup, where his performances played a key role in the team’s title run.
Kaif continued: “Champions trophy ka jo last match tha Dubai mein, player of the match the Rohit Sharma. Waha trophy jeeta ke laye, 2024 trophy World Cup mein, waha jeeti Bharat, waha unke naam trophy. Baddapan dikhaya ki waha retirement le lia, ki chalo 2024 ka World Cup hum jeet gaye, ab naye players ko aane do. Thoda din limelight se bahar the, koi aur aaye kaaptani kari. Jab player aaye to unki jagah chali gayi.” (In the last match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai, Rohit Sharma was the Player of the Match. There, he brought the trophy home. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India won the trophy, and the trophy is in his name. He showed greatness by retiring there, saying, ‘We’ve won the 2024 World Cup, now let new players come in.’ He stayed out of the limelight for some time; someone else captained. When new players came, he lost his place.)