No Change in Leadership: Rohit Sharma to Lead India in England ODI Series and ICC Champions Trophy
It was not surprising that Rohit Sharma would be named captain for the Indian cricket team in the upcoming ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. Still, his poor form for a few months had sparked concerns that his leadership role might come to an end soon.
After suffering two successive Test series losses on the trot, there were rumors that Rohit could be replaced as ODI captain by Hardik Pandya. According to News18 reports, the 37-year-old will continue at least till the ICC Champions Trophy. Rohit had taken India to the final of the last ODI tournament, the 2023 World Cup, which has helped his cause.
The speculation about his removal stemmed not just from his losses to New Zealand and Australia in Test cricket but also due to his lack of runs. However, the BCCI has made it clear that Test performance will not affect ODI captaincy decisions, as they view the formats separately.
It happens at a juncture that the BCCI is all set to announce the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy on January 12. According to InsideSport, the deadline to submit the first squads for this 8-team tournament is this Sunday. The Indian squads both for the Champions Trophy and for the ODI series in England will be released together, finalizing Rohit Sharma as the skipper for the two events as well.