BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed speculation on Shreyas Iyer replacing Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain. Staying non-committal, he highlighted Iyer’s leadership with India A and called him a key ODI player ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior men’s team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, has addressed the speculation around the potential of Shreyas Iyer replacing Rohit Sharma as Team India’s ODI captain. Shreyas has been speculated to take over captaincy duties in the ODI cricket from Rohit in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup.
The Punjab Kings skipper is currently in the scheme of things for ODIs, but his future in Test cricket is uncertain at the moment after taking a six-month break from red-ball cricket due to back stiffness following surgery in the UK earlier this year. Iyer is in the plans for white-ball cricket, especially ODIs, as he has been entrusted with the responsibility to lead India A in a three-match unofficial series against Australia A, which will begin from September 30 in Kanpur.
With the ODI series against Australia set to take place in October, there has been buzz around the possibility of a change in captaincy, with Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill in contention. Gill is currently the vice-captain in T20Is and ODIs, and it makes him part of the conversation.
Will Shreyas Iyer replace Rohit Sharma as ODI captain?
Speaking at the press conference to announce the India Test for the Test series against West Indies, Ajit Agarkar was asked about the possibility of Shreyas Iyer becoming the next ODI captain. Agarkar remains non-commital, noting that Iyer leads the Punjab Kings in the IPL and his appointment as India A captain allows the 30-year-old to prove his leadership credentials.
“Shreyas is a senior player, obviously leads his franchise in IPL cricket. He’s one of the senior guys, he has led India A (in the past). We’re trying to find qualities of a leader in a lot of people. India A gives us an opportunity to see if somebody has that ability,” the chief selector told reporters in Dubai.
Scroll to load tweet…
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy brilliance was on display in the IPL 2025 as he led Punjab Kings to their first final since 2011, but lost to first-time winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the previous season, Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title, but was shockingly released from the squad ahead of the IPL 2025 Auction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Last year, Shreyas led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final.
‘Key player in one-day cricket’
Ajit Agarkar confirmed Shreyas Iyer’s place in the ODI squad by hailing him as a ‘key player’ in the setup while expressing hope of him performing well in the three unofficial ODIs against Australia A before heading to Australia for the ODI series.
“A statement was put out regarding his fitness in red-ball cricket, he won’t be available, and that gives us a chance. He’s been a key player in one-day cricket over the last few years,” Agarkar said.
“He gets three games before we go to Australia. More than anything, we want him playing and play well because he becomes a key member in the one-day squad,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer’s last appearance in international cricket was in the Champions Trophy 2025, where he played a crucial role in India’s title win and was the second-highest run-getter of the tournament with 243 runs.