Ajith Agarkar explains why Shubman Gill is India’s new ODI captain

India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has clarified the reasoning behind Shubman Gill’s appointment as the new ODI captain, saying it was “practically impossible” to continue with three different captains across formats.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel on Saturday announced India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia, handing over the ODI leadership to Gill while retaining Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the squad. Before this change, India had three separate captains — Rohit in ODIs, Gill in Tests, and Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is.

With the new decision, Gill will now lead India in both ODIs and Tests, while continuing as vice-captain in T20Is. The 26-year-old’s promotion marks a key step in India’s leadership transition, which began earlier this year when he replaced Rohit as Test captain.

Speaking at a press conference after the squad announcement, Agarkar said the decision was made with long-term planning in mind.

“It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats in terms of planning,” he said. “You’ve got to start preparing early. The focus so far has been on the T20 World Cup, but we’ll now begin building towards the next ODI World Cup. This gives the next captain enough time.”

With Gill now playing a key role across all formats, questions have been raised about potential burnout. Agarkar, however, expressed confidence in the young captain’s ability to handle the pressure.

“Hopefully not. He’s still quite young. What he showed in England under immense pressure were really positive signs,” Agarkar said. “We’ll manage his workload carefully, but he’s been vice-captain in ODIs for a while, and this is the natural progression.”

India’s tour of Australia begins on October 19 with three ODIs, followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8.