BCCI Likely to Decide Rohit Sharma's Captaincy and Central Contract Fate After Champions Trophy Final

India's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle could depend on the result of the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai. The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), which is eager to have a stable leadership in place for the next two years, may use it to decide captain Rohit Sharma's future.

According to a report by the Times of India, moving on from Rohit Sharma as the captain in ODIs and Test matches is a tough decision for the board. The BCCI has postponed the announcement of the new central contracts. They are waiting for the final match against New Zealand before making a decision.

As per the report, after returning from the Australia tour, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar discussed the matter with the board and Rohit Sharma. During the discussion, Rohit was open to the idea of making a long-term plan for the team, but only after the Champions Trophy is over.

"Rohit still believes there is some cricket left in him. He has been told to communicate his plans going forward. Retiring is his call but there will be another discussion around continuing with captaincy. Rohit himself understands the need to have a stable captain if the team wants to prepare for a World Cup. There have been talks with Kohli too but there doesn’t seem to be much anxiety around him," a BCCI source told TOI.

Before the IPL, BCCI usually announces its annual player contracts. But after a Test season, they decided to wait until after the Champions Trophy to assess the team’s performance. Reports suggest that the board is thinking about reviewing the top contracts (Grade A+), which currently include Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

There are talks about Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja possibly retiring from T20Is, with a Test season coming up. As per BCCI’s policy, only those who perform well in all three formats usually get an A+ contract. If these senior players put up strong performances in the Champions Trophy, they could still hold on to their top-tier contracts.

Axar Patel, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant could be promoted to the A category. Shreyas Iyer, who lost his contract last year due to disciplinary issues, is likely to regain it this time. Kohli’s brilliant performance in the Champions Trophy so far has certainly strengthened his case. 

"The board will wait for Rohit’s decision after the Champions Trophy. If by any chance he chooses to retire, then the board will see what needs to be done. One can’t discount the fact that he won the T20 World Cup in July and has led well in the Champions Trophy as well," the source said.

Virat Kohli had enough time to settle in as captain because MS Dhoni stepped down from white-ball captaincy two years before the 2019 World Cup. Similarly, Rohit Sharma got a two-year run as captain before the 2023 World Cup after Kohli gave up the role in 2021. But if the selectors now decide to move on from Rohit, the transition could take longer. The main reason is that Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness is still a concern, and Shubman Gill, the current ODI vice-captain, doesn’t have much experience as a leader yet.

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