Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has suggested that head coach Gautam Gambhir played a part in Rohit Sharma being removed as India’s ODI captain. Tiwary alleged that Gambhir may have influenced chief selector Ajit Agarkar in taking the call, and said the decision reflected a lack of respect towards Rohit. While Rohit had stepped away from T20Is in June 2024 and Tests last May, he remained active and in strong form in ODIs, with his sights set on peaking ahead of the 2027 World Cup. However, when India’s squad for the Australia ODI series was announced in October, Shubman Gill was named the new captain. The move surprised many, especially since Rohit had lifted the ICC Champions Trophy in his final match as skipper.
Tiwary believes that although Agarkar is known for his independent decision making, such a significant call would not have been taken in isolation and that the coach’s views would inevitably have been part of the process.
“I don’t know what the main cause is. But knowing Ajit Agarkar, he is a personality. He is a decision maker. He will not take a step back in taking such steps. But whether he was influenced by someone to fire the gun from his shoulder is something we need to look at. A lot of things happen behind the scenes, which makes 1+1 2. Maybe the decision was made by the chief selector, and he was very upfront about it. Naturally, the coach’s inputs must be there. You cannot make the decision on your own. Both are equally responsible for whatever decision was made,” Tiwary told Sports Today.
Tiwary went on to say that Rohit’s removal as ODI captain has dampened his interest in watching the format, even though Virat Kohli continues to feature in the side. He added that Rohit himself no longer appears the same on the field. While cameras still catch glimpses of his lighter moments and occasional banter with bowlers, the fiery Rohit who once delivered the famous ‘garden boys’ remark seems to have faded into the background.
Questions over the decision continue
Tiwary also questioned the reasoning behind stripping Rohit of the captaincy, saying it was difficult to understand how his intent or leadership credentials could be doubted. While he acknowledged that a leadership transition to Gill was bound to happen at some stage, he felt it could have been managed more sensitively, perhaps by allowing Rohit to continue through the New Zealand ODI series.
“See, there has been a lot of inconsistency in picking the playing XI, in my opinion. If I have to be brutally honest with you, I have lost interest in watching the ODI games. The things that have panned out of late, when the T20 World Cup-winning captain and the Champions Trophy-winning captain is removed from the captaincy, and the responsibility is given to the new guy, which I felt was not required. I have played with Rohit. We have a connection, so I didn’t like how it panned out. I felt it was disrespectful to a cricketer who has given so much to the cricket lovers across the world. From that day, I lost a bit of interest. A lot of controversies, and I feel that is happening because the clarity is not there,” added Tiwary.
“It would have made this decision more sensible, because Rohit is a proven captain. He has won two ICC trophies. We nearly missed out in 2023. I felt Travis Head was lucky; it was his day. If we had won that, Rohit would have ended up with three trophies. I just wonder why you had doubts regarding Rohit playing the 2027 World Cup. That means you doubted his abilities. Why would you do that? When he has scored three double hundreds, there was no question of doubting him. A big player always gets the runs. The mindset with which he played in 2023, he is such a selfless cricketer, he wanted to make a statement. Doubting his ability was a big mistake, and then removing him from captaincy was a big mistake as well. I thought it shouldn’t have happened. It cannot be cricketing logic behind his removal as the captain.”
