The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday named opening batsman Rohit Sharma as the new captain of the national One-day International (ODI) squad. He replaced Virat Kohli, who is now in charge of only the Test unit.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI and T20I teams going forward," the BCCI tweeted.

Last month, Sharma had been appointed India's captain for T20 team as well after Kohli relinquished the role.

Sharma, known for his hard-hitting style, made his debut in 2007 for the national team, initially playing only limited-overs cricket before being added to the Test team as well in 2013.

He has captained Mumbai Indians to victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) five times. Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Kohli until his resignation from their captaincy as well, have never won the title.

The announcement of Sharma's ODI captaincy comes ahead of India's three-match ICC World Test Championship series in South Africa, beginning on December 26. In the squad for the coming series, led by Kohli, Sharma has also replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain of the Test side, according to a report on the International Cricket Council's website.

He has taken over as captain for India's white-ball teams following a disappointing performance of the side during this year's the T20 World Cup, where they were defeated by arch-rivals Pakistan in a World Cup for the first time since 1992. After failing to qualify for the semi-finals, India faced sharp criticism at home over their dismal performance.

After the World Cup, Kohli stepped down as short-format skipper in September, citing his “immense workload”, and has now yielded the ODI captaincy as well.

Many expected Kohli to lead India in the 50-overs World Cup on home soil in 2023 but the board opted for a single white-ball skipper.

With additional input from Reuters