Back in December 2021 when Virat Kohli was removed as the ODI captain following his decision to step down as the T20I captain, then-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said India can’t have two white-ball captains. The same man also advocated for split captaincy in 2012 and then argued that India don’t need split captaincy in 2020. Fast forward to May 2025, India have three captains in three different formats. Shubman Gill is the Test captain, Rohit Sharma remains the ODI captain, while Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I captain. So, what forced BCCI to make a u-turn? Timing.
The India Cricket Team is in a transition period with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli quitting Test and T20Is. So, why not make Shubman Gill captain of the ODI team as well, with Rohit focusing on batting and mentoring his young successor?
India Captains
- Shubman Gill (Tests)
- Rohit Sharma (ODIs)
- Suryakumar Yadav (T20Is)
Do India need split captaincy?
In the current scenario, only Jasprit Bumrah can lead all three formats, being the best in each format. However, considering the history of injuries and the workload management he requires, Bumrah is ruled out as the captain in any format. What India need is a stable player who is also young to take the team forward.
In T20Is, there is already a succession plan in place, with Shubman Gill being the vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav. However, as India will defend their T20 World Cup title next year in February-March, the BCCI does not want to replace the captain. However, after that, Shubman will take over as the T20I captain. Shubman is also the vice-captain of the ODI team. Hence, when Rohit calls it a time, Shubman Gill will be the captain across all formats. But not now. It will have to wait. The split captaincy is a stop-gap solution and not a well-thought-out one.
“We never wanted split captaincy. But this is how it has panned out. Rohit has won two titles, and we want him to continue leading till the ODI World Cup. As for the T20I side, Surya is already doing a good job, and we have a World Cup to win next year. It would not make any sense to replace him now,” a senior BCCI official privy to discussions on captaincy told InsideSport.
Then, the question is: why did BCCI not make Shubman Gill the captain of the T20I team instead of SKY?
Lack of confidence in Shubman Gill?
Surely, Shubman is young, and despite his enviable stats in ODIs and a near-record-breaking season in IPL 2023, he hasn’t set the stage on fire across all formats. The 25-year-old has struggled in Tests and hasn’t done exceptionally well in T20Is either. He averages 35.05 after 32 Tests and 30.42 in T20Is after 21 matches.
To be blunt, he hasn’t cemented in place in either Tests or T20Is. Shubman was dropped from the Perth and Melbourne Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He hasn’t played in the T20I team since July 2024. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had already cemented their places in all three formats when they took over full-time captaincy.
That was a reason why SKY was chosen to lead ahead of Shubman and Hardik Pandya was dropped from captaincy, citing workload management concerns.
Then why is the shift in mindset now? Wasn’t Rishabh Pant a better alternative, considering he is an all-format regular?
“It’s not a lack of confidence. If it were so, he would not have been made the Test captain and vice-captain in the other two formats. When the time comes, he will lead in all formats. As for Rishabh, he is the vice-captain in Tests and is in the leadership group of the two other formats. With so many matches nowadays, one player can’t play all matches in all formats. So, it won’t be a problem with Shubman,” the official said.
The future of Indian cricket
While the next generation of stars has already made a name for themselves, they are yet to attain a stature like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill could be the one, but he still has his footing to find in Tests and T20Is. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli mentoring him in ODIs and support from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in T20Is, he could be an all-format captain.
For now, though, BCCI’s U-turn in split captaincy is only a temporary solution that they were forced to make. Not that BCCI failed to anticipate Rohit and Virat’s Test retirements, the Indian board did so to give Shubman the time he needs to establish. The BCCI did not want to burden Shubman with all-format captaincy at one go.
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