Former West Indies captain Richie Richardson has supported India’s new ODI captain Shubman Gill. He said that Gill deserves the promotion and also believes that senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can still play in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Richardson was speaking in New Delhi during a Golf Day event for Cricket West Indies, organized by the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). This came just after India’s big win over West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Soon after that victory, the Indian team management surprised everyone by naming Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, whose last assignment was the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year.

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Richie Richardson Supports Shubman Gill and Senior Players

Speaking to ANI about Shubman Gill, Richie Richardson, now a match referee after a 13-year career with over 12,000 international runs and 21 centuries, said, “I have to be careful as I am a match referee and work with these players. But Gill in England showed he is a good captain and also performed well with the bat. I am sure he will get full support from other players. That is what you want.”

“No player can play forever. If world-class players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli support him, it will be good for Indian cricket,” he added. Richardson said it is up to Rohit and Virat if they want to continue for the World Cup.

Richie Richardson said - "Shubman Gill is confident, he's a good captain and was able to perform well as captain of the team. I'm sure he will receive full support from the other players, which is important. No player is going to be in the game forever, and if experienced players… pic.twitter.com/CaXMWNCxX6

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 9, 2025

Gill’s Captaincy and West Indies Views

Gill started well as captain with a 2-2 draw in five Tests against England and leading India 1-0 over West Indies. He also led Gujarat Titans to the IPL playoffs. In England, he scored 754 runs in five Tests with four centuries, showing strong batting and leadership.

Richardson also talked about West Indies cricket. He said the team has “tremendous talent” that needs to be used well. He hopes for support from India to help West Indies cricket grow.

He added, “I am happy to be here. India has always treated us well, and fans still welcome us warmly. It is wonderful to be back.”

Gill’s promotion as ODI captain, along with Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma joining India A ODIs against Australia A, raises questions if Rohit and Virat will play in the 2027 World Cup, as they will be around 40 and 39 years old.

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In a surprising turn of events at the Asia Cup 2025, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will ask match referee Andy Pycroft to step aside from Pakistan's upcoming matches, following the succession of events during the high-pressure India vs Pakistan encounter in Dubai last Sunday. 

Pycroft at the centre of preceding events

The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) submitted an official complaint against Pycroft, accusing him of partisanship, after it was alleged that he advised Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to immediately shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav. This enraged the PCB, who stated that the request constituted favoured treatment and a breach of the 'code of conduct'. 

The ICC rejected the PCB complaint and stated that Pycroft was simply acting on orders issued for that match by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officials. According to those officials, the instruction not to shake hands with each captain was a broader decision of the ACC, and not an isolated order from Pycroft.

No Pycroft for Pakistan matches

Although the ICC dismissed the PCB's complaint, pressure from Pakistan has caused a compromise to be implemented. According to ARY News, Pycroft has been pulled from officiating Pakistan's final group stage match, with former West Indies captain Richie Richardson stepping in as the alternate referee. As such, Pycroft can continue to officiate other fixtures in the event, but will no longer supervise any matches involving Pakistan.

PCB holds firm

Sources indicate that the PCB is adamant that Pycroft be fully removed from Pakistan's matches. The board believes Pycroft shows favoritism to India and has persuaded the ICC and ACC to react. "The PCB held firm and resisted backing down from their position of removing Andy Pycroft. They are insistent that he should not officiate Pakistan's matches," said the source.

ACC in the middle

The Asian Cricket Council has been trying to find a way to resolve this standoff. Conversations have taken place with the PCB, and the middle ground suggested was assigning Richie Richardson to Pakistan's matches and leaving Pycroft on the referee panel.

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ICC denies PCB's entire request

While ICC confirmed that Pycroft will remain a member of the event's referee panel, it declined PCB's request to remove him entirely from the tournament. An official letter, registering the rejection of the PCB's request, was sent to the PCB earlier this week.

Sources state that the ICC also reiterated that Pycroft's actions were commissioned and conducted within the ACC's guidance and had no relevance to India and its interests.

The move to assign Pakistan's matches to Richie Richardson is an in-between way to make sure the Asia Cup continues smoothly and does not escalate. Now that Pakistan has not backed down and the ICC does not want to remove Pycroft, this whole situation adds another interesting wrinkle to a fiery tournament.