Former India selector Saba Karim has criticised the BCCI's call to remove Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain ahead of the upcoming series against Australia.
The 15-member squad, announced by Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar on October 4, sees Shubman Gill take over as the new skipper, with Rohit still part of the squad for the three-match series starting October 19 in Perth.
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The decision marks a major shift in India's leadership setup, just months after Rohit guided the team to the 2025 Champions Trophy title. Karim, however, believes the timing and reasoning behind the move make little sense.
Saba Karim calls Rohit Sharma's removal "shocking and abrupt" in AUS vs IND 2025
Speaking on KADAK, Karim expressed his surprise at how quickly the selectors moved on from Rohit despite his recent success.
"I think this is a very abrupt decision and there was absolutely no need for it. He is a winning captain who led you to back-to-back trophies, and you have bid him farewell in such a manner. This has been a very surprising and shocking decision for me," he said.
Karim added that the 2027 ODI World Cup is still far away and there was no urgency to replace Rohit, especially after his success in shaping India's white-ball setup.
"It's not like he suddenly forgot how to captain or score runs. He is the one who set the tone as an opener, showing others how to control the scoring rate. His exit has been extremely shocking," he said.
Saba Karim backs split captaincy across formats
Karim also argued that India should have different captains for white-ball and red-ball cricket: a model many other teams have adopted. However, he feels the current management prefers a single-leadership approach.
"I think there is a directive that India doesn't want separate captains for all three formats. But I believe there's still a need for that divide since each format demands a different mindset," he explained.
India will next be seen in action in the second Test against West Indies on October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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