​Aakash Chopra has joined the growing chorus suggesting that India might be better off giving Yashasvi Jaiswal a proper run in the ODI side, describing Rohit Sharma’s current batting as noticeably slower and more cautious than in his prime. The remarks come amid reports that the management is unhappy with Rohit’s approach since he relinquished the ODI captaincy and amid questions about how long he can realistically continue at the highest level. Chopra believes it may be time for a transition, with a view toward incorporating fresh talent in the ODI setup sooner rather than later, and he emphasizes that Rohit’s form in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy has not been as explosive as in the past.
Since Shubman Gill took charge of the ODI unit after India’s Champions Trophy triumph last March, Rohit’s returns with the bat have failed to dazzle the think tank. Discussions within the selectors reportedly focused on whether Rohit would still hold his place by the time the World Cup arrives, given he will be past 40 by then. The concern, as outlined by Chopra and others, is that Rohit’s batting has transformed since the Champions Trophy campaign, becoming markedly more deliberate and unhurried. The team management is now believed to feel that Rohit needs nearly three matches into any series before he finds his groove.
Chopra highlighted Rohit’s age—39 now and turning 40 next year—as a key factor in weighing a potential shift toward younger talent. With the next World Cup still roughly eighteen months away, he argues that the window for transitioning to ODI newcomers is closing rapidly, and that if India intends to pivot, the time to act is now. “Rohit Sharma is 39 years old, man. He will be 40 next year. The World Cup is still some distance away. Actually, I mean, it’s a year and a half away, so he’ll be over 40,” he said on his YouTube channel, Akasvani. “If the Indian team has to pivot from the perspective of ODI cricket, if they have to move towards someone else, this is the time.”
Chopra acknowledged that Rohit’s outputs since the Champions Trophy haven’t been disastrous, pointing to a half-century in that final, followed by a hundred and a seventy in Australia, and a few more fifties, before a quieter performance against New Zealand. While the numbers aren’t spectacular, they aren’t poor either. What has genuinely shifted, in his view, is the tempo. He argues that Rohit now bats far more cautiously than before, a change that has sparked concerns about whether his style remains compatible with India’s evolving ODI plans and whether a change in personnel at the top of the order could yield better outcomes.
The discussion around Rohit’s form has tied into broader debates about whether India should promote Jaiswal to open the ODI innings, with proponents arguing that he could inject fresh momentum at the top and provide a long-term solution beyond Rohit’s twilight years. In this context, Chopra’s analysis adds weight to the argument that a measured transition may be prudent for India as they plan for upcoming global assignments, including the World Cup.
Cricket News is cited as the origin of these insights, with the publication encouraging readers to add Cricket News as a preferred source by clicking through. The echo of Chopra’s commentary reflects a wider sentiment among observers that the time to refresh the ODI setup could be now, leveraging the talents of younger players like Jaiswal while Rohit navigates the latter stages of his illustrious career.