Rohit Sharma looks all set to make a comeback as India’s captain during what is turning out to be a jam-packed season. With the ODI and T20I squads expected to be announced on Saturday (November 22), India could be heading toward another leadership change.
The ODI series will take place in Ranchi, Raipur, and Visakhapatnam on November 30, December 2, and December 6. After that, the T20Is move to Cuttack, Mullanpur, Dharamshala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad on December 9, 11, 14, 17, and 19.
Injuries open the door for Rohit Sharma’s return
Shubman Gill, who took over as India’s ODI captain in October and led the team in Australia recently, is set to miss the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. He injured his neck on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa and hasn’t recovered.
India’s ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, is also unavailable after getting injured while fielding in the third ODI against Australia. He’s expected to sit out the entire home series against the Proteas. With both Gill and Iyer ruled out, the selectors are likely to turn back to Rohit Sharma to lead the team for the three ODIs, according to CricketNext News18. The final squad announcement is expected on Saturday.
A possible return after earlier removal as ODI captain
Interestingly, Rohit Sharma was removed from the ODI captaincy in October, even though he had guided India to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 earlier in March. But with Gill and Iyer out, the selectors may need Rohit to step in again.
Of course, India does have other captaincy candidates like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya. However, Hardik Pandya is also likely to sit out the ODI series to manage his recovery and workload. This makes Rohit’s return even more likely.
Shubman Gill’s injury creates big changes in white-ball squads
Gill has already been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, and the team doesn’t want to risk his injury by rushing him into the ODI series. His availability seems doubtful at the moment.
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If Shubman Gill is declared unfit, Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to take his place at the top, with Ruturaj Gaikwad likely to join the squad as a backup opener. Gaikwad has been in great touch recently and impressed everyone during the unofficial ODIs for India A against South Africa A.
Shubman Gill might also end up missing the T20I series, which could give Jaiswal a chance to return to the shortest format. Interestingly, Jaiswal hasn’t featured in a T20I for India since July 2024, after losing his place when Gill came back.
Rishabh Pant steps up as India’s Test captain
With Shubman Gill missing, Rishabh Pant is currently leading India in the final Test against South Africa in Guwahati. This makes Pant only the second wicketkeeper after MS Dhoni to captain India in Test cricket. Dhoni, of course, led the team in 60 Tests between 2008 and 2014.
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