The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, convened on Saturday to pick the squad for the Australia tour. The selectors also kept head coach Gautam Gambhir in the loop before making the decision to change the captaincy. Earlier this year, Gill took over as the Test captain after Rohit retired from the format.

Ever since announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Rohit had been preparing to the best of his ability in Mumbai, as he wanted to be in prime shape for the Australia tour. He was seen training with former Team India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Over the past few days, fresh images and videos have surfaced online, showcasing how Rohit shed several kilos, looking in the best shape possible ahead of the trip Down Under. For the series against Australia, Shreyas Iyer will be serving as Gill’s deputy. The right-handed batter from Mumbai has clearly been rewarded for his outstanding captaincy credentials in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Both Rohit and Virat Kohli have been named in the squad, and hence the duo would be boarding the flight to Australia for the upcoming three-match series, marking their first international series for India ever since the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, which India won by beating New Zealand in the final.

The changing of the guard from the 38-year-old Rohit is a major decision when it comes to Indian cricket. Earlier this year, numerous reports circulated stating that RoKo might play their last international series for India against Australia. The Dainik Jagran report also claimed that if Rohit and Virat want to participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup, they will be required to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Recently, Rohit and Virat both opted not to play the India A series against Australia A, which got underway on September 30 in Kanpur.

Speaking of Rohit, under his leadership, India broke its ICC title drought last year after winning the T20 World Cup. After the achievement, both Rohit and Virat announced their retirement from international T20Is.

Rohit then oversaw India’s undefeated campaign in the eight-team Champions Trophy, where the side played all of its matches in Dubai. After having a victorious campaign in the Champions Trophy, Rohit famously said, “I am not retiring from this format.” This statement came amid reports that Rohit might retire from ODIs.

Rohit’s captaincy tenure

Rohit Sharma led India in 56 matches, winning 42 and losing 12. Throughout his tenure, the right-handed batter, who turned 38 in April this year, maintained a winning percentage of 75 in the 50-over format.

Rohit replaced Virat Kohli as the ODI captain in December 2021. This decision was taken following the latter’s decision to step down as the T20I skipper. The BCCI, then spearheaded by Sourav Ganguly, wanted one captain for both white-ball formats; hence, Rohit was given the reign.

Under Rohit, India won the Asia Cup in 2023 in Sri Lanka and in the same year, the side also reached the final of the World Cup. However, disappointment followed as India lost the summit clash against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Rohit might not have led India in as many ODIs as MS Dhoni (200) and Kohli (95), but he definitely bows out as one of the greatest white-ball skippers to come out of India, considering that under his tenure, India won the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy and also made it to the final of the 50-over World Cup.