Hardik, Surya, Bumrah? Who will be India's next T20I captain? Former Indian stumper suggests two names
Who will be India's next T20I captain? Ex-Indian stumper suggests two names.
Former Indian stumper Saba Karim suggested two names who could beIndia's next T20I captain. After India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, held in West Indies and the USA, captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, from the shortest format. Thus, India have now embarked upon a new era post Rohit's retirement. With India set to kickoff their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, from July 27 under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, there are chances that the BCCI will announce India's new permanent T20I skipper.
With many names being considered, Karim named Hardik Pandya -- who acted as Rohit's deputy in the last two World Cups (both ODI and T20I) -- and Suryakumar Yadav as his top-two choices.
'Logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain'
Talking on Sony Sports, the former Indian stumper said, "The first thing that needs to be decided is who will captain in T20Is. Rohit Sharma has retired, he won't play T20Is. So you will have a new captain. I feel there are two contenders. If we see logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the winning World Cup campaign. He also captained India in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup which is going to happen after two years."
He further opined, "I feel the discussion should be about SKY because Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the home series against Australia. India defeated Australia there and he also batted well. So he can definitely come forward as an option." Karim added, "If the selectors feel Hardik Pandya has played a fantastic role and can do the same as a captain as well, he can definitely be the ideal candidate. So I feel these are the two contenders."
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A second-stringed Team India, under Shubman Gill, ended their five-match T20I series versus Zimbabwe, in the African nation, on Sunday (July 14). However, it seems highly unlikely that Gill's name will be in discussions, given he led in the absence of many senior players.
As Hardik has been Rohit's deputy in white-ball cricket since early 2023, it is likely that the all-rounder will take over in T20Is. He has led India in 16 T20Is, winning 10,during Rohit's sabbatical post 2022 T20 WC, which ended in early 2024. In addition, he had a good run in the 2024 T20 WC, managing144 runs and claiming 11 wickets.