"He must be feeling the guilt inside" - Former India batter makes stunning claim on Shubman Gill leading Rohit Sharma in AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs

Former Indian middle-order batter Mohammad Kaif has made a stunning claim on Shubman Gill captaining Rohit Sharma amid the ongoing ODI series against Australia. Kaif feels the youngster must be feeling guilty from the inside leading the veteran, given the latter hadn't done a lot of things wrong during his tenure as captain.

With Gill leading in ODIs for the first time, he hasn't experienced the most auspicious of starts as India have conceded a 2-0 lead, thereby losing the series. The 26-year-old had some big shoes to fill, with Rohit propelling India to the 2023 World Cup final and Champions Trophy success earlier this year and the start hasn't been impressive.

Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, the 44-year-old reckons there might be different thoughts inside Gill's mind, given his predecessor was removed as the ODI skipper despite his achievements. He elaborated (16:02):

"It takes time for any new captain, now, for Gill, he has Rohit Sharma, a proven leader, playing under him. Gill also knows that Rohit Sharma has not done anything wrong as a captain. He was removed from captaincy. When Gill goes to sleep in his hotel room, he must be thinking that Rohit bhai has not done anything wrong. He must be feeling the guilt inside, that people are backing me, but think about Rohit bhai, he did so well and won trophies, but even after that, he was removed, and I was named captain."

At the same time, Kaif feels the transitioning phase of the side is also the reason for the loss, suggesting that the youngster needs to be given time.

"So, considering everything fatigue, travel, playing so many matches on the trot, and having the task of captaining Rohit and Kohli, it will take time. This is a transition phase for Gill as ODI captain. Whenever he leads Rohit and Kohli, he will feel nervous. So this is a time where the runs are not coming from the bat, and we lost a bilateral ODI series, I don't even remember when we lost a bilateral series. So, all of this has happened under his captaincy, and this had to happen."

Gill's returns with the bat have also suffered as he has scores of 10 and 9 in the first two matches. The right-handed batter has looked good in the deliveries he faced but has thrown his starts away.

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"He has always said that my runs should be in a winning cause" - Mohammad Kaif on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma batting in Adelaide on Thursday. (Credits: Getty)

Reflecting on Rohit's gritty innings of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide, Kaif believes the opener would have been happy spending time in the middle amid challenging conditions. However, the retired cricketer feels the loss would have been hard for him to take.

"Rohit Sharma has set an example in this match. He wouldn’t have been happy, given the team lost. He has always said that my runs should be in a winning cause. When team wins and my contribution is there, that’s when I’m happy. He has always said it, so he won’t be that happy. He got the runs, took time against good seam-bowling on challenging conditions. He took time at the start, got beaten and played his natural game later to get runs. He got out at the wrong time, could have played an innings of 100 or even 120. He would have been upset."

Simultaneously, Kaif observed how the Nagpur-born cricketer was actively involved in the game, helping out Gill and the bowlers in setting the fields. Kaif feels it reflects the star cricketer's upbringing as he displayed his selflessness and did his best in helping India despite being sacked as captain.

"But what I saw was he was involved in the game so much despite not being captain, he was supporting and making Gill understand things. I have seen with senior players that when they are removed from captaincy despite making the team win consistently and making records. Even after that, he thought for the team. He could have been laidback after his captaincy was taken from him, thinking nobody would blame him, thinking 'I’m no longer captain, I have also scored and I won’t be dropped.' He didn’t let Shubman Gill take the blame, he was desperate to see India win, whether or not he is captain."

"When Rohit was on the field, he gave his everything. He spoke to Arshdeep about what field to set. When India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Arshdeep thrived under him. A lot of players have played under him. Even if India had won, the credit would have gone to Gill. It doesn’t matter for him but Rohit showed how big a person he is and it shows his good upbringing. He thought even if he is removed as captain, he won’t let India lose."

The 38-year-old is the most successful Indian ODI captain, among those who have led in at least 50 games, holding a winning percentage of 75. India will face Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh in the final ODI on Saturday, hoping to prevent a whitewash.