The debate around Rohit Sharma’s removal as India’s ODI captain refuses to die down and former cricketer Manoj Tiwary has now added fuel to the fire with his blunt assessment of the decision. According to Manoj Tiwary, the call to move Rohit aside was not as straightforward as it appeared and involved influence from the top, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar fronting the move.
Rohit Sharma’s final outing as the ODI skipper came on the grandest stage, the 2025 Champions Trophy final, where he led India to the title and lifted his second ICC trophy as captain. With that triumph, he joined MS Dhoni as the only Indian captains to win multiple white-ball ICC titles. Despite this success, the team management chose to look ahead and handed the captaincy to Shubman Gill, who is 12 years younger than Rohit, signalling a clear shift towards the future.
Manoj Tiwary, however, questioned whether such a big call could have been made without broader involvement. He felt that while Ajit Agarkar is known as a strong decision-maker who does not hesitate to take bold steps, decisions of this magnitude rarely come from one individual alone. In his view, inputs from the coaching staff are inevitable and therefore responsibility should be shared equally. Manoj Tiwary stressed that whatever was decided happened behind closed doors but both the selector and the coach must own the outcome.
The former Bengal batter admitted that Rohit Sharma’s removal dampened his own interest in ODI cricket. He felt the move created confusion and opened the door to unnecessary controversies, with no clear communication around the team’s direction. Manoj Tiwary also believed the management showed a lack of faith in Rohit’s batting abilities which, according to him, made little sense from the cricketing point of view.
Manoj Tiwary described the decision as disrespectful to a player who has given Indian cricket countless memorable moments. He questioned why doubts were raised about Rohit Sharma’s ability to continue until the 2027 World Cup, especially when his record speaks for itself. Manoj Tiwary argued that a batter who has scored three double centuries in ODIs should never be doubted. He highlighted Rohit’s selfless approach, particularly during the 2023 phase, where his intent was always about making a statement for the team.
In Manoj Tiwary’s opinion, questioning Rohit Sharma’s ability and then removing him from captaincy was a double error. He firmly believes there was no sound cricketing logic behind the decision and feels it is a mistake that Indian cricket did not need to make.
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