Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has alleged that head coach Gautam Gambhir influenced chief selector Ajit Agarkar in the decision to remove Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain. Tiwary also said that the way the change was handled showed a lack of respect for Rohit, who led India to two ICC trophies.
Rohit retired from T20I and Test cricket but continued playing ODIs with the 2027 World Cup in mind. However, Shubman Gill was made the new captain for Australia ODIs in October. The decision surprised many, especially as Rohit won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in his final match as India captain.
Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir are equally responsible – Manoj Tiwari on Rohit Sharma’s dismissal
Talking to Sports Today, Manoj Tiwari said that Ajit Agarkar alone could not have taken the decision to remove Rohit Sharma. He said that Gautam Gambhir’s input will naturally be part of the process.
“I don’t know what is the main reason. But knowing Ajit Agarkar, he is a personality. He is a decision-maker. He will not take even a step back in taking such steps. But was he influenced by someone that he fired the gun from his shoulder, that is something we need to look intoTiwari told Sports Today.
“There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that make 1+1 2. Maybe the decision was made by the chief selector, and he was very clear about it. Naturally, the coach’s input should be there. You can’t take the decision alone. Both are equally responsible for whatever decision is taken,” he said.
I have lost interest in watching ODI matches – Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari said that after the removal of Rohit Sharma from the captaincy, his interest in watching India’s ODI matches has reduced. He also said that the decision to remove the captain who won the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy was unnecessary.
“Look, in my opinion there has been a lot of inconsistency in picking the playing XI. To be honest, I have lost interest in watching ODI matches.” Tiwari continued.
“The things that have come up recently, when the T20 World Cup-winning captain and the Champions Trophy-winning captain have been removed from the captaincy, and the responsibility has been given to the new person, which I felt was not needed.”
He said, “I have played with Rohit. We have a connection, so I didn’t like how it happened. I felt it was disrespectful to a cricketer who has given so much to cricket fans around the world. From that day onwards my interest lost a bit. There are a lot of controversies, and I think that is happening because there is no clarity.”
Rohit Sharma would have ended with three trophies – Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari said India missed out on winning another title in 2023, adding that a different result could have given Rohit Sharma three trophies. Tiwary questioned why there were doubts over Rohit’s ability to play the 2027 World Cup, calling it unfair considering his record.
Tiwary said, “It would have made more sense to make this decision because Rohit is a proven captain. He has won two ICC trophies. We almost missed out on 2023. I thought Travis Head was lucky; it was his day. Had we won that, Rohit would have finished with three trophies.”
“I wonder why you had doubts about Rohit playing the 2027 World Cup. That means you had doubts about his abilities. Why would you do that? When he has scored three double centuries, there was no question of doubting him. A big player always scores runs.“
“The mentality with which he played in 2023, he is such a selfless cricketer, he wanted to make a statement. Doubting his ability was a big mistake, and then removing him from the captaincy was also a big mistake. I felt this should not have happened. This cannot be the cricketing logic behind removing him as captain.”
Also read: Rohit Sharma got disappointed after the defeat in Rajkot ODI against New Zealand and the crowd started chanting “How should our captain be…”.