India, Oct. 9 -- When it's as big as removing the captain who has won the Champions Trophy in his last assignment, the decision sure cannot be sudden. It wasn't. The Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and the other decision makers of the BCCI, thought long and hard before sacking Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain and handing over the reins to Shubman Gill.

Shubman Gill revealed that he knew about the big development. He was informed of his appointment to the role shortly before the first Test against the West Indies, even though the official announcement came immediately after the Test match, which India won in two and a half days. The 25-year-old replaced Rohit Sharma as the leader in the 50-ove...