Parthiv Confident Shubman Gill Will Face No Trouble With Kohli, Rohit

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes that recently-appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill will have no trouble leading India’s batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, starting with the three-match series in Australia.

Kohli and Rohit have been included in India’s squad for the series beginning October 19. However, a significant change has been made - Gill has replaced Rohit as ODI captain, signalling that the management may be planning a transition ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, which South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will host.

“I don’t think that it will be problem because of the kind of characters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are. You look at Virat, he became captain when MS Dhoni was still playing. He knows what role a senior plays in grooming a new captain,” Parthiv said in an interview with PTI.

“Same thing was there when Rohit became the captain. Yes, Virat wasn’t his senior but nevertheless a former skipper. Obviously, they have gone through that phase and understand the decision, which is about betterment of Indian cricket, both of them always come across as mature. I don’t think Shubman needs to put in his energies behind managing those senior players.”

Both Kohli and Rohit have been away from competitive cricket since IPL 2025, with their last international appearances coming in the Champions Trophy earlier this year (February-March). By the time the next World Cup arrives, Kohli will be 39 and Rohit 40.

The duo have reportedly agreed to chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s suggestion of participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 to remain in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The next edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is scheduled to begin on December 24 and continue until January 18. After the Australia tour, India will host South Africa for a three-match ODI series from November 30 to December 6. Three more home ODIs are set against New Zealand from January 11 to 18. This schedule allows both Kohli and Rohit sufficient time to feature in at least 3-4 games for Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

If they wish, both players could comfortably participate in up to five group-stage matches before rejoining the Indian squad for the New Zealand series. However, it remains unlikely that either will do so. Kohli last featured in a List A match for Delhi in 2010, while Rohit’s last appearance in the same format for Mumbai came in 2018.

Parthiv also believes that playing domestic cricket will benefit Kohli and Rohit. “Two years is a long time and especially if you see there aren’t too many ODI games. Like earlier times when there used to be 20-25 games a year, you get on a roll and before you know two years passed by. But it is a different challenge and we are also new to this kind of a challenge. The challenge is to keep themselves match-fit.

“I would definitely feel that they should play Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is not about setting an example like ‘We have made Kohli and Rohit play Vijay Hazare’. That’s not how I would like to think. Playing Hazare Trophy will help their own game and that in turn will help the Indian cricket team.”