India chief selector Ajit Agarkar has explained the reasoning behind the captaincy transition from Rohit Sharma to Shubman Gill in ODIs, admitting that it was a "difficult" but important decision keeping the future needs of the team in mind.
Agarkar reckoned that with the 50-over format taking a backseat in the international calendar, the chance to test the leadership skills remains limited as India prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Rohit retaining the ODI captaincy would have meant that India would have three different captains for three formats, something that Agarkar labelled "practically impossible".
Asked whether or not Rohit was communicated about the decision beforehand and how did he react, Agarkar stated that the senior player was kept in loop. However, he did not reveal any details of Rohit's reaction to the same.