Former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has expressed disappointment over doubts about Rohit Sharma’s place in the ODI team ahead of the series against the West Indies. Rohit has delivered consistently over the years for the team, but still there have been doubts raised about his future.
Rohit scored a stunning knock of 138 runs off just 110 balls in the last ODI against England to put all doubts about his future to bed. The veteran batter has performed consistently over the years and has also worked hard on his fitness in recent times.
Dilip Vengsarkar said on RevSportz, “It is very unfortunate because he has consistently scored runs in big games and won so many matches for India. Yet, questions continue to be raised about his ability, which is disappointing. As for whether Rohit Sharma will play in the next World Cup, I don’t know. There is still a lot of cricket left in him, and it will depend on his performances and fitness. But I certainly believe there is a spot for him among the openers.”
On the other hand, the former Indian selector praised Shubman Gill but raised questions about whether he can be India’s captain across all formats.
“Very difficult to say in all formats. The thing is that you have to pick the best XI and then pick the captain because the captain should be an automatic choice in the playing XI. Shubman Gill is a fantastic player. I like his batting and his style as well. The way he led the side in England was simply unbelievable. He did so well as a captain and as a batsman.”
Meanwhile, Vengsarkar also opened up on Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as coach. Under Gambhir, India has won the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup, but results in Test cricket haven’t been up to the mark.
“A coach can play a part in planning and strategising for the match and the training sessions. But that is where his role ends. Then the players have to implement those plans on the ground. If the players don’t implement them, that determines victory or defeat. So, the coach’s job is limited in the sense that he can do only so much outside the field. The players have to implement the plans,” said Vengsarkar on Gambhir (via the aforementioned source).
Gambhir will look to get the best out of the team in the series against the West Indies.
