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Rohit Sharma named 'India captain' by Jay Shah after Gambhir's Shubman Gill push

Debashis Sarangi

Rohit Sharma with Jay Shah [Source: @thecricketgully/X]Rohit Sharma with Jay Shah [Source: @thecricketgully/X]

ICC chairman Jay Shah addressed talismanic cricketer Rohit Sharma as the Indian captain in a recent event. Despite being replaced by Shubman Gill as the Test and ODI captain of the Indian team, Rohit managed to receive special praise from the ICC supremo, who acknowledged his contributions to Indian cricket during his speech. 

Jay Shah addresses Rohit Sharma as Indian captain

The incident occurred during a recent event in which both Jay Shah and Rohit Sharma were a part. During his speech, ICC chairman Jay Shah reminisced about India's glorious victory in the T20 World Cup, hailing then-captain Rohit Sharma for his valiant efforts. 

Jay Shah remembered how the defeat in the 2023 World Cup final emerged as a massive heartbreak for India and its passionate fan base. He went on to praise the Men in Blue for turning things around in the subsequent T20 World Cup and ending their ICC trophy drought with a memorable win over South Africa in a high-voltage final in Barbados. 

Despite Rohit being active as an ODI cricketer, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management replaced the 38-year-old with Shubman Gill as the captain, keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind. However, Jay Shah still addressed Rohit as the skipper, giving him the respect he deserves for ensuring two ICC titles, a T20 World Cup, and a Champions Trophy during his captaincy stint. 

"Our captain (Rohit Sharma) is sitting here & I will call him Captain because he has won two trophies for us. In 2023, we won 10 matches in a row and won everyone’s hearts but we couldn’t win the trophy. After that, I said in Rajkot that this time we will win both the cup and the hearts, and our captain Rohit proved it by making it happen," Jay Shah stated. 

How did Rohit Sharma lead from the front in India's ICC title-winning campaigns?

As Dinesh Karthik recently revealed, Rohit Sharma called for a change in approach after India lost the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal comprehensively. The legendary cricketer took the responsibility and set an example for his teammates by transforming his idea into action. 

His ultra-aggressive approach was pivotal in India's prolific run in the 2023 World Cup, where they remained unbeaten until the final against Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium. Despite the defeat, Rohit persisted with his selfless style of play, eventually weaving magic in the 2024 T20 World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy last year. 

Overall, he hammered 437 runs in both tournaments combined, setting the tone for flamboyant starts for India on most the occasions. His attacking style of play ensured the anchors like Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli took ample time to settle in the middle and went berserk when it mattered. 

Apart from letting his bat do the noise, Rohit Sharma also grabbed the limelight through astute decision-making on the field. He proved why the BCCI trusted him to deliver the results at a time when India made it a habit to crumble under pressure, rightfully earning the evergreen captain's tag from none other than Jay Shah.