NEW DELHI: The outcome of Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy final is likely to form the base for Indian cricket’s preparation for the ODI World Cup in 2027 and the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
It could determine the future course for captain Rohit Sharma with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) keen on having a stable leadership while planning the coming two years.
According to sources, there could be a tough discussion over moving on from Rohit at least as captain in ODIs and Tests. The board has also held back announcing the fresh central contracts and will wait for the final against New Zealand. TOI understands chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir have already discussed the proposition with the board and Rohit after returning from the Australia tour. It is also learnt that during the meeting, the Indian captain was not averse to the idea of setting a roadmap for the team once the Champions Trophy ends.
“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.
BCCI usually announces its annual player retainership before the IPL. The board wanted to see how the team fared in the Champions Trophy after a disastrous Test season.
It is learnt that the board wanted to revisit the Grade A+ contracts. Currently, Rohit, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja make up the top grade.
With BCCI’s policy suggesting that players performing in all three formats are preferred for A+ contracts, there were some concerns with Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja retiring from T20Is and also enduring a very rough Test season. However, a strong showing in the Champions Trophy could help these players retain the marquee contract.
It will be interesting to see if Axar Patel, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are promoted to A category. Shreyas Iyer is likely to win back his central contract after he was removed last year due to disciplinary issues. Kohli has sort of strengthened his case with a superlative show in the Champions Trophy so far.
“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.
Interestingly, MS Dhoni had quit white-ball captaincy two years before the 2019 World Cup which gave Kohli time to ease into the role.
Kohli too stepped down as white-ball captain in 2021, leaving Rohit two years to run the team before the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Factoring in that current ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill is still raw as a captain and Jasprit Bumrah’s persisting fitness issues, the selectors will need more time if they have to move on from Rohit.
