The union of Gautam Gambhir as head coach and Ajit Agarkar as chief selector coincided with India’s transitional phase across formats. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ended their T20I careers on a high with the World Cup haul in Barbados in June 2024, they surprised the cricketing world by exiting the Test scene in May this year. Gambhir and Agarkar, however, approached the transition with more positivity than expected, with plans in place to ensure a smooth handover to the next generation of stars.
On Saturday, Indian cricket witnessed another major decision. At the press conference announcing the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, starting in just over a fortnight, Agarkar named Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, signaling a clear shift in direction — a move a former BCCI office-bearer humorously dubbed the “GA-AG order.”
Rohit and Kohli have been named for the three-match ODI series in Australia, marking their return to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy haul. However, Agarkar remained non-committal about their potential participation in the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
According to a report in the PTI, Gambhir and Agarkar are believed to be on the same page that “both Rohit and Kohli aren’t exactly in their scheme of things for the 2027 World Cup.” In fact, they strongly believe that the two senior batters won’t be able to sustain their form until the World Cup, given that they are active in only one international format, and are guaranteed to participate in the two-month-long annual IPL tournament.
Agarkar expects Kohli and Rohit to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy when they are away from international cricket, to stay relevant for ODI selection, but it remains to be seen if they agree to participate. Kohli last played in the List A tournament more than a decade ago, while Rohit’s last appearance was in a semifinal game in 2018.
He said: “I think we made it clear a year, or a couple of years back, now, that whenever players are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. I mean, that’s the only way you’ll keep yourself sharp and playing cricket, if you’ve got a long enough break.
“Whether that’s possible with the international cricket you’re playing or not, that only time will tell, but if the guys are free, they should be playing domestic cricket.”
The report added that Agarkar and Gambhir are more concerned about Rohit’s fitness and believe that he won’t last the distance till 2027. On the other hand, Kohli’s fitness is unquestionable, and his case might not be as bleak as Rohit’s. “When compared with Rohit, Agarkar’s selection committee feels that he still might have an outside chance,” read the report.
For the duo, the team’s current expectation is to score runs in Australia. Agarkar’s reply was, in fact, straight as an arrow. “What they have been doing for years — try to score runs. I don’t think that changes. We hope they keep doing it and you know you don’t have to think too far at this point,” he didn’t say much, but said it all.
