Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden said he was surprised by the removal of Rohit Sharma as ODI captain despite leading India to triumph in the Champions Trophy 2025. Rohit Sharma was asked to step down as captain ahead of India’s upcoming tour to Australia as Shubman Gill was announced as India’s new ODI captain.
Rohit led India in 56 ODIs and won 42 of them while losing 12 games. He has a winning percentage of 75%, second best in ODI history with at least 50 ODIs as captain. Recently, Matthew Hayden shares his thoughts on Rohit’s removal from the captaincy and said he was surprised by the move.
However, he also mentioned that the rationale behind Gill’s appointment takes more than building a leader.
“Look, more than likely. But they will have the 2027 World Cup in mind. And they should. I was actually a bit surprised that Rohit was dropped as captain after the Champions Trophy. But I also understand that. Shubman Gill is being groomed. It takes time to build a leader,” Hayden said to launch the Test Twenty.
Apart from this, Hayden also stated that the presence of Rohit and Virat Kohli in the dressing room will be like gold for the Indian team as they are great mentors.
“Having Rohit in the house, having Virat in the house, that’s gold. They’re not just players; they’re mentors in the underground house. I hope it’s not their last (tour), but unfortunately you can’t play forever,” he added.
Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers also shared his excitement to watch Rohit and Virat play in the upcoming series.
“I’ll probably answer in a similar way to the Haydos. I’m just glad we can still see them playing competitive cricket. They know what they still want to achieve – and as Hayden mentioned the 2027 World Cup is probably the main goal. I wish them nothing but success and a fantastic end to their careers, however it ends up,” De Villiers said.
The upcoming ODI series will mark the return of Rohit and Kohli to international cricket after the duo announced their Test retirement in May 2025. After being relieved of the captaincy, the focus now shifts to Rohit’s batting in the upcoming ODI series starting on October 19 in Perth. The series is expected to be the last in Australia for the senior duofans are expected to come in large numbers to catch their favorite stars in action.
– The end
Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
October 17, 2025
Tune in
