Rohit Sharma's future is in limbo after being removed from captaincy, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set its eyes on the 2027 ODI World Cup.

On Saturday, the management, led by coach Gautam Gambhir, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, decided to strip the 38-year-old of leading the ODI side when picking the squad for the Australia tour.

The selection committee handed over the responsibility to Shubman Gill, who was already captaining the team in Tests after Rohit’s retirement from the red-ball format.

Agarkar defended the decision, saying it was not feasible to have different skippers in all three formats and that it was in the best interest of Indian cricket to appoint a new leader and give him enough time to settle into the role before the next World Cup.

The right-handed batter had taken charge of the Men in Blue in 2021 from Virat Kohli. Now, with both having retired from Test cricket and T20 format but still part of the ODI squad, the question arises whether they will play the next World Cup.

However, the chief selector remained tight-lipped about the future of Virat and Rohit in the tournament as he refrained from commenting directly.

He said, "That's the format they (Virat and Rohit) are at the moment playing. We picked them as far as the 2027 World Cup is concerned. I don't think we need to talk about it today. Obviously, with the captaincy change, that's generally the thought.”

Rohit led India in 56 matches, winning 42 and losing 12. Under his leadership, India clinched the T20 World Cup (2024) and the ICC Champions Trophy.