Indian captain Rohit Sharma is among the most successful modern-day captains and the first-ever to lead his team to the finals of four successive ICC events. Although his form at the top has been a worry for him and India, his leadership skills are unquestionable, guiding his team to the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand in Dubai. However, amid this success, his future seems to hang in balance, with a potential decision to come out any time after the final.

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Though Rohit, soon to be 38, believes he still has plenty left to offer, the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir discussed the future course of action with him after a dismal BGT Down Under. Since the board is keen on having a stable captain at the helm leading up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, expect some harsh calls to be taken after Sunday’s final, regardless of the result.

A Times of India (TOI) report claims that the BCCI has also put the central contract list announcement for the upcoming season on hold till the final happens, indicating they want to look beyond Rohit as India’s captain. The report also stated that the board asked him to communicate his (future) plans, and though retirement is his call, questions around captaincy have begun doing the rounds.

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"Rohit still believes there is some cricket left in him. He has been told to communicate his plans going forward. Retiring is his call, but there will be another discussion around continuing with captaincy. Rohit himself understands the need to have a stable captain if the team wants to prepare for a World Cup. There have been talks with Kohli too, but there doesn’t seem to be much anxiety around him," a BCCI source told the newspaper.

Performances to hamper contract categories

Following a tough red-ball season where India lost back-to-back Test series (to New Zealand and Australia), the BCCI wanted to assess player’s performances in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, thus waiting for it to get over. 

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Though they reward those playing all formats with A+ contracts, T20I retirements of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, and considering their shallow performances in Tests, the board could take some harsh calls going forward. However, the only thing that could keep their positions intact is their performance in the Champions Trophy 2025. 

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“The board will wait for Rohit’s decision after the Champions Trophy. If by any chance he chooses to retire, then the board will see what needs to be done. One can’t discount the fact that he won the T20 World Cup in July and has led well in the Champions Trophy as well,” the source added.

(With inputs from agencies)