Former Indian batter and analyst Mohammad Kaif has weighed in on Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir’s claim that dropping Sanju Samson was the toughest call of his coaching tenure.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif contradicted Gambhir’s comment, stating that Rohit Sharma’s sacking as ODI skipper would be the toughest call for both Gambhir and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Interestingly, Rohit was axed as ODI skipper right after the ICC ODI Champions Trophy 2025 success in Dubai. Subsequently, Shubman Gill was named as the new ODI captain, keeping the ODI World Cup 2027 in mind.
“I think the most difficult call was dropping Rohit as captain after he won the Champions Trophy, not dropping Samson, as Gambhir said. If you ask him, maybe Agarkar will say this was the toughest call. Even Surya, who got out after winning the T20 World Cup. I think these are the two toughest calls taken in Agarkar’s tenure. Rohit’s captaincy for India was great, even though he started late as a captain,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
On the other hand, Agarkar is set to end his tenure as chief selector in October 2026 without seeking an extension. Kaif showered praise on the current Indian ecosystem for having an exceptional pool of players in white-ball cricket.
“Assuming it is a clean slate now, whoever comes in as a selector now to run this team, any coach or any captain in the future, this Indian team will win 8 out of 10 times, especially in white-ball cricket. Because our cricket system is way better than other countries. There are so many good players who are still out. The players themselves are so good now. I will credit the BCCI for taking IPL to such a high level for this. Players are not coming through coaches or selectors, it is through the IPL system. Anyone who comes in now will have a good tenure,” he added.
