For the first time in nearly a decade, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will take the field for India under a different captain. The last time that happened was back in 2016, when MS Dhoni was still leading the side. Now, it is Shubman Gill’s turn to take charge, becoming India’s 28th ODI captain and the seventh to lead the country across all formats.Captains to Lead India in all Formats2006- Virender Sehwag2008 -MS Dhoni 2017 – Virat Kohli 2017 – Ajinkya Rahane 2022 – Rohit Sharma 2022 -KL Rahul 2025 – Shubman Gill*
At just 26, Gill stands at the beginning of a fresh chapter in Indian cricket. The torch has been passed, quietly but significantly, from the two most influential batters of the last generation to one of the brightest stars of the next.
India
Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna
Australia
Squad: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe(w), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Matthew KuhnemannIndia’s new era begins in Perth on Sunday against Australia. The Optus Stadium is expected to host a near-capacity crowd, and the occasion feels bigger than a regular bilateral series. The focus may still rest on the two stalwarts, but this is undeniably Shubman Gill’s moment — the day he steps from promise into leadership, carrying the hopes of Indian cricket’s next generation.
