The Indian Cricket Team (ICT) has been enjoying a good time over the last few years. They have won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA (United States of America) and the West Indies, and the Champions Trophy 2025 in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Team India won both titles under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. But now Rohit doesn’t have much time left as the captain of the ODI team, because at most he will remain in the role until the 2027 ODI World Cup. Even then, there’s still no clarity on whether Rohit will play in the 2027 World Cup or not. However, today we will look at the possible candidates who could replace Rohit and become the next ODI captain of India. So let’s start.

POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: Who Will Be the Next ODI Captain of India?

• Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is one of the front-runners to become the next ODI captain of India. He has now captained in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for Team India in a recently-concluded test series against England (ENG). Gill now has enough experience of captaincy, having led the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In his captaincy, Team India drew a 5-match test series 2-2 in England. GT has also reached the top 4 in the IPL 2025 under his leadership.

Shubman Gill has age on his side. Giving him a captaincy role early will allow the team to build a long-term strategy and avoid frequent captaincy changes. His position in the ODI team is also certain as he has shown consistency with the bat. Like Rohit Sharma, Gill is known for his calm presence on the field. This composure under pressure is vital for captaincy, especially in knockout matches and high-pressure run chases.

Not just the above-mentioned factors, but the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the broadcasters also look for a marketing face to sell games. Shubman Gill’s stakes and brand value have increased in the last few years. All-and-all, he has the potential to become the next ODI captain of India.’

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• Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is also one of the potential candidates to become the next ODI captain of India. He has led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their 3^rd IPL title in the 2024 season. Iyer has also won a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 as captain of the Mumbai team. The Mumbaikar has also led his state team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Under his leadership, the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise played its first-ever IPL final in 2020.

Shreyas Iyer has proved themselves as a batter in the ODI format. He has been scoring runs in this format regularly. His proven leadership at different levels makes him one of the strong contenders to become India’s next ODI captain. He is very calm and composed on the field and is mature enough to lead the national side.

Former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra have praised Iyer’s leadership qualities in the past. There were a few media reports as well, suggesting that the BCCI are looking at Shreyas Iyer as their next ODI captain. Let’s see if he gets an opportunity to captain the ODI team or not.

• KL Rahul

KL Rahul has also captained Team India before, in all three formats. He has captained the Indian test team in 3 games and won 2. In ODIs, he has captained in 12 games and won 8. He has only captained India in a T20I game and won that match. Overall, he has led Team India in 16 games, winning 11 games and losing 5.

Not just for India, KL Rahul has captaincy experience in the IPL, having led Punjab Kings (earlier known as Kings XI Punjab) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In IPL, he has captained 64 games and won 31 games. He has also lost 31 games, with 2 games ending in no result.

Rahul’s cool and calm composure makes him one of the potential candidates to become the next ODI captain of India. He has been a team man and played multiple roles for the team when needed. Rahul has played as an opener, at No. 4, 5, or 6, kept wickets when needed, and captained in the absence of a regular captain. He might be a less-talked-about player when it comes to captaincy (as Gill and Iyer are front-runners), but he has all the potential to lead the side.

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• Rishabh Pant

We all have seen Rishabh Pant doing things behind the stumps. He gives tips and suggestions to the bowlers, changes field placing, and has the best view to analyse the game. There is an old saying that wicketkeepers are the half-captains, even if they are not given a role officially. Rishabh Pant has that game-sense and has captained Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants over the last few seasons in IPL.

Pant has also captained Team India in 5 T20Is, all five against South Africa (SA) in a home series. The series ended in 2-2 draw with one game ending in no result. At one stage, he was looked at as the potential captain of India in the future. But he met with an accident and missed international cricket for almost one and a half years. Also, his batting numbers in white-ball cricket are not as good as his test batting numbers. So he is still fighting for a place in ODIs. But if he does well, he might be the next captain of India in white ball cricket.

• Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was looked at as a successor of Rohit Sharma for India. He won an IPL title for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022, and played the final in the 2023 season as captain. Looking at those captaincy performances, he became the captain of India for a brief period. But his regular injury issues cost him a captaincy role for the Indian team. The Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise has even made him a captain in the IPL, ahead of a five-time winning captain, Rohit Sharma. That means everyone can see potential in his captaincy. But now, he is standing behind the queue for India’s white ball captaincy role.

In his international career, Hardik Pandya has led Team India in 3 ODIs and 16 T20Is. He has won 2 ODIs and 10 T20Is as captain of India. His way of handling the team is quite different from Gill’s and Iyer’s, but has resulted in his favor. He has enough experience and exposure to lead the teams.

• Axar Patel (Outside Chance)

Axar Patel has been one of the most improved cricketers in the world over the last few years. He has been performing consistently well, especially in white-ball cricket. The all-rounder has also done well in test cricket at home whenever he got the opportunity.

Coming to his captaincy prowess, Axar Patel has led DC in the IPL 2025 season. The DC has finished at No. 5 in the points table, with 15 points. They were very close to reaching the top 4. In fact, in the first half of the tournament, DC won 6 games out of 8 in Axar’s captaincy. They lost the momentum in the later stages of the tournament.

Axar Patel might not be considered ahead of Gill, Iyer, Rahul, or Pant, but he has an outside chance to make it to the role.

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Will Rohit Sharma Continue Till the ICC World Cup 2027?

There were media reports that the selectors were expecting Rohit Sharma to leave the ODI format after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. But Rohit has made his intentions clear that he wants to continue till the ODI WC 2027. The event is still two and a half years away, and there is no official confirmation from either the BCCI or Rohit Sharma on the ODI WC 2027 captaincy.

Rohit has done well with the bat in ODIs and has won two ICC trophies in less than a year. As per the stats, he should continue, and his experience will be important for the youngsters. We will get to know about this more as time passes. What do you think? Will Rohit continue playing till WC 2027? Or will we see a new captain in ODIs for India? Comment your opinion below.

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FAQs:-

(1) How many players has captained Team India in ODI cricket?

A. As of August 2025, a total of 27 players have led Team India in ODI cricket.

(2) Who was the first captain of India in ODIs?

A. Ajit Wadekar was the first captain of India in ODIs. He led the team in their first-ever ODI in 1974 at Melbourne.

(3) Which Indian captain has won the most ODI games?

A. MS Dhoni has won 110 games for India as captain. It is the most by any Indian captain so far.

(4) How many Indian captains have won the ICC trophy?

A. As of 2025, a total of four captains have won an ICC trophy for India. Those are Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma.

(5) How many ICC trophies has Rohit Sharma won for India as captain?

A. Rohit Sharma has won two ICC trophies for India as captain. He has won the T20 WC 2024 and CT 2025 as captain.