Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the T20I captain remains unconfirmed as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues to gather feedback on Suryakumar Yadav. Gautam Gambhir’s decision is expected to play a crucial role in determining Rohit Sharma’s successor.
The BCCI finds itself in a dilemma over the T20I captaincy, torn between Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the T20I captain is reportedly not confirmed yet. Despite being the vice-captain of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup last month in the Caribbean, questions about his fitness have raised concerns among BCCI officials.
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20 cricket after leading India to a World Cup victory, Pandya naturally emerged as the frontrunner for the captaincy. However, according to a report in The Indian Express, the board and the selection committee are not unanimous in their decision. The main issue is Pandya’s fitness, given his history of multiple serious injuries over his eight-year international career.
Despite being the country’s top seam-bowling all-rounder and playing a pivotal role in India’s World Cup win with crucial contributions in almost every match, Pandya’s fitness remains a concern. He has opted out of red-ball cricket and has his white-ball workload managed meticulously. His fitness issues were highlighted when he was ruled out of the ODI World Cup after just two league games and took five months to regain full fitness.
This skepticism regarding his fitness is seen as a significant factor in the hesitation to name him the permanent T20I captain. Gambhir’s vote will be critical in this decision, determining whether Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav will succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I captain.
The BCCI is in a dilemma over the T20I captaincy, torn between Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup last month in the Caribbean, has not yet been confirmed as the T20I captain. Concerns about his fitness have made the BCCI cautious about appointing him permanently.
A top BCCI source told The Indian Express, “It is a delicate matter. There is an argument on both sides of the debate, and thus, everyone is not on the same page. Hardik’s fitness is an issue but he played a big role in breaking India’s ICC jinx.” The BCCI is wary of picking a leader who frequently breaks down and misses important series.
This uncertainty has brought Suryakumar Yadav into the spotlight. After the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Suryakumar has established himself as the No.1 batter in T20Is. He also demonstrated his leadership skills during the home series against Australia after the ODI World Cup last year and the South Africa tour that followed. “As for Suryakumar, we have received feedback from the team that his captaincy style was well received by the dressing room,” the source added.
The final decision will hinge on the vote of the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir, who has worked closely with Suryakumar while leading Kolkata Knight Riders. Gambhir‘s vote will be crucial in determining Rohit Sharma’s successor.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to meet with Gambhir for their first selection meeting this week. They need to finalize their decision soon as they prepare to announce two squads for the ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka tour, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs, will mark the beginning of the Gambhir era in Indian cricket.
