Imran Khan was nearly 40 when he hand-held Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title. By the time the 2027 50-overs World Cup is upon us, Rohit Sharma will also be 40. But, unlike The Khan, he wouldn’t have a fairytale farewell. The national selectors ended his ODI captaincy the other day by naming 25-year-old Shubman Gill as his replacement. It was an unusual and unexpected decision with no precedent.

Only the eclectic with no worldly desires or ambitions would have remained unaffected by the demotion. As for Rohit, he has been a proud captain, a silent chaser of grand dreams and a winner of two ICC tournaments in a matter of months — a rare achievement for a nation that isn’t Australia and that has a long history of World Cup heartbreaks.

Indian cricket isn’t known to snatch the captain’s a

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