Axed Asia Cup batter set to be groomed as India's next ODI captain after Rohit Sharma: Reports

As Rohit Sharma approaches the twilight phase of his international career, rumours around India's ODI captaincy have only intensified. As soon as India's T20I squad for the Asia Cup was announced on August 19, chief selector Ajit Agarkar made subtle indications to make Shubman Gill the captain across all three formats. However, in a recent turn of events, it appears that the BCCI and its esteemed panel of selectors have made a U-turn. 

Rumour has it that the Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer seems to be very much in line to become the next ODI captain following the departure of Rohit. Although these claims are yet to be confirmed, a recent report from Dainik Jagran offers a strong indication, suggesting Iyer is being seen as a long-term captaincy option for Team India, possibly till the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

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Iyer was very much in contention to secure a place in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup tournament. But luck was not on his side as he, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, was left out of the squad. Following his snub, debate around conspiracy theories began dominating the internet as fans came to his support and blamed the BCCI for leaving him out. Agarkar also spared a thought for him and insisted that he would have to wait for his next big opportunity. If the sources are to be believed, this positive news could be the next big milestone in Iyer's illustrious cricketing career.  

Iyer has established himself as a reliable batter with 2845 runs at an average of 48.22 in 70 ODIs, including five hundreds. The BCCI and the team management are now taking his leadership potential seriously.

Could this be the end of the road for Rohit Sharma? 

Rohit, who has now turned 38 this year, could be staring down the barrel after the news of Iyer's ODI captaincy broke out. After retiring from the Test and the T20I formats, experts suggest that he may not have a lot of cricket left in him. The BCCI now has an incredible pool of talent to select its players from, with age on their side. Rohit has arguably been one of India's greatest white-ball captains in recent times. But doors seem to be shutting down fast on him, with many predicting that the October ODI series against Australia could mark their final white-ball appearance for India.