2024-07-17 10:57:49
Mumbai: Batsman Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as a strong contender to become the next captain of India’s T20 team. Earlier, Hardik Pandya was considered certain to be made the captain from vice-captain, but now it seems that Suryakumar can overtake him. Pandya is available for the T20 matches against Sri Lanka this month, but it is reported that Suryakumar, who captained India in 8 T20 matches against Australia and South Africa last year, is being considered the choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
Gambhir talked to Hardik
It is learnt that Gambhir and Agarkar spoke to Pandya this evening about this change in plans and told him that a long-term option is being finalised to ensure stability. The search for a new captain is on after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format of cricket following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month. Pandya, one of the heroes of India’s victory in the T20 World Cup, will take a break during the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka due to ‘personal reasons’.
The T20 matches against Sri Lanka will be played in Pallekele from 27 to 30 July. After this, ODI matches will be played in Colombo from August 2 to 7. The team for the series against Sri Lanka is expected to be announced in the next few days. A senior BCCI source said on the condition of anonymity, ‘Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain of India’s T20 team under Rohit Sharma. He is fully fit and available for the three-match T20 International series and was expected to lead the team but there is a strong possibility that Suryakumar Yadav will be the potential captain not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup.
Surya is close to Gambhir
Thirty-three-year-old Suryakumar is considered one of the most popular players in the Indian dressing room. It was under Gambhir’s captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders that he made his mark as a T20 player and the then captain gave him the nickname ‘Sky’. Pandya was being seen as Rohit’s obvious successor but several factors changed things. Pandya’s performance as Mumbai Indians captain has been disappointing and the selectors are in no mood to let him choose the series of his choice.
The selectors would have no objection to seeing him playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season so that he can get practice for 50-over matches. Regarding the ODI series, the official confirmed that Pandya has asked for a break and has already informed Rohit about it. Rohit is also taking a break from this series. In the ODI series, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, who led the team in the last series against South Africa, will be contenders for the captaincy.
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BCCI secretary Jay Shah has clearly stated that all star cricketers will also have to play domestic cricket if they are not playing international cricket. Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been exempted. The BCCI wants all the other Test specialists to play at least one match of the Duleep Trophy in August. After this, the team has to play Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.