If Rohit is the captain, then there is an 85 to 90 per cent chance of winning the World Cup: Manoj Tiwary

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has made a urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India, asking the body to shuffle the ODI captaincy with former captain Rohit Sharma replacing Shubman Gill as the leader of the side once again. Tiwary believes that the move to re-appoint Rohit as the ODI skipper will drastically improve India’s chances in the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup. 

Gill, who took over the captaincy reins from the 38-year-old in October 2025, has faced two consecutive ODI series losses as captain. The Men in Blue, led by Gill, lost the series in Australia and recently suffered their first-ever home series loss against New Zealand in ODIs. Hence, the erstwhile Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer believes that Gill should be sacked as captain, making way for the 38-year-old once again.

“What was the need to remove Rohit Sharma from the captaincy? I'm pretty sure that if Rohit were leading even today in the ODIs, it would have been a different result (New Zealand series) altogether. Because when he won the Champions Trophy, I think the team was going forward in the right direction," Tiwary was quoted as saying by InsideSport.

Tiwary believes that reinstating Rohit, who led India to Champions Trophy success in difficult conditions of Dubai, and boasts an immaculate white-ball record as captain, would give the side a better chance of lifting major trophies in the time to come.

“Rohit is not a little better than Shubman, but a lot better, currently. That's why he's such a successful captain. You can win it (the World Cup) with Shubman's captaincy, but I'm suggesting comparing the captaincy of both. If Rohit becomes the captain, what is the percentage chance of winning? And if Shubman leads, what is the percentage chance of winning? I think everyone will say that if Rohit is the captain, then there is an 85 to 90 per cent chance of winning the World Cup," added Tiwary.

Gill out for silver duck on Ranji return

The Indian Test captain, meanwhile, failed to impress on his Ranji Trophy return against Saurashtra in a Group B encounter, as Gill, much like other Punjab batters, struggled on a rank turner. It was a clash between two India internationals, as left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja sent the Fazilka-born packing for an underwhelming score. 

After scoring 172 in their first inning, they bundled out Punjab for a mere 139, including a two-ball duck by the Indian captain. As things stand, Saurashtra have a lead of 249 runs, with two wickets in hand. Jadeja scored 46 runs off 44 balls.