In a new twist, India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer appears all set to take the captaincy full-time from the incumbent Shubman Gill, as per a report in NDTV.
Iyer was appointed the vice-captain of the ODI team in October 2025, the same time Gill was appointed as captain. Gill was made captain following the sacking of Rohit Sharma in the role.
In May 2025, Gill had been appointed India’s full-time Test captain. Across the two formats, Gill has had mixed results as skipper. Now, Shreyas Iyer seems set to be rewarded for his consistency.
“We want one captain in both white-ball formats” – BCCI source on Shreyas Iyer
The development seems to have arisen because of the BCCI’s desire to have one captain in both ODIs and T20Is. Currently, Gill is the captain of the ODI team, and Suryakumar Yadav is the captain of the T20I team.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav sacked as India T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer takes charge
According to reports, Suryakumar Yadav is set to be sacked as T20I captain despite winning the T20 World Cup at home in 2026 because of his poor form with the bat. Neither Gill nor Iyer was a part of that team.
Since Shreyas Iyer is the most likely candidate to replace Yadav, the BCCI seems to be taking the opportunity to announce one captain for both ODIs and T20Is.
As reported by NDTV, the source said “Expect some changes when the new T20 team is announced. We are looking at one player helming both the T20 and ODI sides. Our focus is on both now. The BCCI wants to look at young talent while also giving opportunities to experienced players. Shreyas has done exceedingly well in the last few years; his injuries have been unfortunate.”
“This year, he has led his IPL franchise with a lot of courage and dedication. Yes, he is the top contender for white-ball captaincy. Suryakumar Yadav has been our World Cup-winning captain, and his contributions will be rewarded as well,” the source added.
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy in last few years
In 2024, Iyer had led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title, that same year he led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title.
After he led Punjab Kings to a runner-up finish in IPL 2025, calls for him to be considered for a leadership role in the national team set-up grew stronger. In IPL 2026, PBKS are currently second on the points table under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership.
Between March 2024 and March 2025, Iyer was a part of five trophy winning teams across domestic and international cricket but wasn’t the capatin in all of them.
Shubman Gill’s performance as captain
Gill was made India’s Test captain in May 2025, T20I vice-captain in September 2025, and ODI captain October that year.
As Test captain, Gill led India to a 2-2 draw in the five-match series in England before blanking West Indies 2-0 at home. India lost 0-2 to South Africa at home, but Gill was injured in the first innings of the first Test in that series and did not play the second.
As ODI captain, the results have been far bleaker. In October, India lost the ODI series in Australia 1-2 before winning 2-1 against South Africa at home in November. With both Gill and Iyer injured, KL Rahul had led India against South Africa.
In January 2026, Gill returned as ODI captain, but India lost 1-2 to New Zealand at home. In all, Gill has won only 2 ODIs out of 6 as captain and lost both series he was the helm for.
Team India next match
India’s next immediate assignment will be hosting Afghanistan for a one-off Test and three ODIs in June.
There is speculation that a second-string team will be playing both the series, making it the perfect opportunity to test any new leadership candidates the management would want.
After that, India will head for a tour of Ireland and England in July.
