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Mohammed Shami calms outrage over Shubman Gill replacing Rohit Sharma as ODI captain: 'Bahut hi zyada memes ban rahe…'
Shami addressed the memes on social media around the change in captaincy, while he backed the BCCI’s call to hand Shubman Gill the ODI captaincy.
Veteran Indian paceman Mohammed Shami has backed the BCCI decision to name Shubman Gill the new ODI skipper, replacing Rohit Sharma. The BCCI selectors and team management have decided to prepare the team for the future, keeping the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. They went ahead with Test skipper Shubman to take over the charge of the 50-over format. It was a bold decision to make, as when Rohit last led India in ODIs, they went on to win the 2025 Champions Trophy. The swashbuckling opener was also the Player of the Match in the final against New Zealand.
The decision sparked a memefest on social media, with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar facing criticism.
Shami addressed the memes on social media around the change in captaincy, while he backed the BCCI’s call to hand Gill the ODI captaincy, saying the young batter has the leadership experience and deserves the opportunity. He urged everyone to respect the board’s decision and support Gill as he takes on this new responsibility.
"Bahut hi zyada memes ban rahe hai is sawal ko leke. (There have been a lot of memes on this question) I feel there should not be any objection. This is the decision of the BCCI, selectors and coaches. Shubman captained India in England, and he is the skipper of the Gujarat Titans as well. So, he has the experience. Someone had to be given this responsibility, and the BCCI chose Shubman Gill for that, so we should accept it," Shami said on his YouTube channel.
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‘People should not raise questions over the captaincy’: Shami
The veteran pacer called for calm amid debates over captaincy, stressing that leadership roles are never permanent in cricket and that such transitions are simply part of the game’s natural progression.
"People should not raise questions over the captaincy. This is not in our hands. Someone is the captain today, and there will be someone else tomorrow. This cycle will continue," he added.
Meanwhile, Shami himself missed out on the Australia tour as he was left out of the ODI squad despite being part of the Champions Trophy-winning side. Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee went ahead with Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna as their pace bowling options for the three-match ODI series.
