On October 7, at a prestigious sports awards ceremony in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma received a special honour – a recognition for captaining India to Champions Trophy glory, the nation’s second successive ICC limited-overs title within a year. The applause was thunderous, the tributes heartfelt, but the timing ironic.

Days earlier, Rohit’s captaincy era in Indian cricket had officially drawn to a close. His leadership had already faded from the Indian Premier League (IPL) landscape before the 2024 season. He had retired from T20 internationals minutes after lifting the T20 World Cup in Barbados. And in early 2025, he called time on his illustrious Test career, leaving just the ODIs, the format that had defined his evolution as one of India’s greats.

On October 4, chief selector Ajit Agarkar co

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