NEW DELHI: In a major transitional move in Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma has been relieved of his ODI captaincy, with Shubman Gill appointed as the new skipper. The decision comes despite Rohit leading India to the Champions Trophy title in March this year.

While Rohit's impressive record as ODI captain remains unquestioned, chief selector Ajit Agarkar acknowledged that removing a player from captaincy of his stature is never easy, but certain decisions must be made with the future in mind.

"It was a tough call to remove someone from captaincy who has been so very successful. But sometimes we have to take such decisions from the team's perspective, looking at the future. Even if Rohit wouldn't have won Champions Trophy, this was a difficult decision," Agarkar said.

Agarkar also clarified that Rohit was informed about the change, and how he reacted to it is a matter that remains between him and the selection committee.

"Rohit Sharma has been communicated about change of captaincy. We don't play too many ODIs and we needed to give the next guy enough time. How Rohit has taken the decision to change captain is between him and selection committe."

Agarkar also made it clear that with very few ODIs being played now a days, it is impossible to look at three different captains as it hampers the general planning of the squad.

"Firstly, it's practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning," he said.

Agarkar denied making any comments on Rohit's availability for the 2027 ODI World Cup. He also expressed confidence that Rohit and Virat Kohli will continue to perform, as the duo has been doing for more than a decade.

"They are greats of the game. They have scored tons of runs for India. We just expect them to score runs for India and continue to do that. They are leaders in the team."

"2027 ODI World Cup far way and it's not right to say anything about today," Agarkar further said.