Rohit Sharma is not ready to let go of captaincy just yet

The BCCI held a review meeting following India's humbling conclusion to the Test season. The season saw India endure a 0-3 series defeat against New Zealand, marking their first-ever whitewash at home. Furthermore, the team lost their claim to the Border Gavaskar Trophy after a decade, as Australia defeated them 3-1 Down Under. The losses accumulated by India towards the end of the season resulted in the team being ousted from the WTC Final, with Australia and South Africa securing the spots. While the focus has now shifted to white-ball cricket, with the ICC Champions Trophy approaching swiftly, the board convened with India's captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and head of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar to finalize plans for the team's future.

Rohit Sharma informs BCCI of his plans to continue in the captaincy position

India has suffered six losses in their last eight Tests played in the WTC 2023-25 cycle. The BCCI review meeting was reportedly a lengthy one. The team's captaincy in the format is one of the many points of discussion led by the board. Details reveal that Rohit Sharma remains interested in retaining the position, while the board faces the task of identifying the next prospect. The embarrassing run in the BGT opened the door to intense scrutiny of the senior core of the Indian camp. Calls for the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli grew louder, and reports of friction between Gambhir and Sharma also surfaced.

However, despite the dressing room leaks, the subsequent drama, and a bold interview by Rohit Sharma during the Sydney Test, the England Test series is presumably not going to feature any significant changes. Earlier, Sharma also denied having any retirement plans from the longer format, as he believes he can script a turnaround. According to latest reports, Rohit assured the BCCI during the meeting that he would "remain the skipper for the next few months until the board chooses the future captain," adding that he would offer his "full support" to the chosen successor. The meeting also reaffirmed that Rohit would retain the ODI captaincy for now, with a decision on his replacement to be made after the ICC Champions Trophy.

In July last year, Suryakumar Yadav was named captain of India’s T20I side following Rohit’s retirement from the format post the T20 World Cup. During the recent review, Jasprit Bumrah emerged as a potential candidate for the Test captaincy. The pacer had previously led India to a remarkable victory against Australia in Perth when Rohit was unavailable due to the birth of his second child. Bumrah also captained the team in Sydney, stepping in for Rohit, who opted out of the series decider.

However, the Sydney match, which Australia eventually won, saw Bumrah sidelined on Day 2 due to back spasms. Concerns were raised during the meeting about Bumrah’s ability to manage the workload associated with leading India in a full five-match series. As a result, the officials deferred making a final decision on Bumrah’s candidacy as a future captain, opting to revisit the discussion at a later date.