With Rohit Sharma already in the dusk of his international days, the Indian cricket team is gradually making arrangements for leadership transition. With his retirement from the Test and T20I formats already behind him, Rohit is still captain of India in ODIs. But with time catching up and the Champions Trophy of 2025 approaching, rumors are doing the rounds about who might take over the reins when Rohit is done playing the 50-over format. Rohit's contribution to Indian cricket has been huge, but the necessity of grooming a replacement has come to the fore than ever before. Finding India's next captain for the ODIs is getting underway— and recently, former India batsman Mohammad Kaif has named his preference as next India leader in ODI cricket. Kaif has thrown his support behind young opener Shubman Gill as the perfect replacement for Rohit in the ODI game. In an interview on his YouTube channel, Kaif expressed admiration for the leadership qualities of Gill and the way he performed under pressure, particularly during the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. Here is what Kaif said: “I think Shubman Gill is going to become a better captain in the coming times. He did a good job here. He will get the captaincy of ODIs as well because we don’t know how long Rohit Sharma will play. Gill is standing there ready to take over,” Also Read | 3 Players Who Can Replace Sanju Samson as RR Captain in IPL 2026 Most importantly, Gill was entrusted with the responsibility of captaincy for the much-hyped Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against England. Even though India were 1-2 down in the series going into the last Test at The Oval, Gill's team displayed incredible grit and character to tie the series 2-2. India's thrilling six-run triumph in the fifth Test was heavily influenced by a scorching bowling performance by Mohammed Siraj on the last day. Yet, it was Gill's calm leadership and top-class batting talent that gave the foundation to India's comeback. Gill scored 754 runs in 5 Tests at a mind-boggling average of 75.40, with vital knocks that kept India in the contest throughout the series. His leadership acumen in taking a fairly young team through trying English conditions went unrewarded.