Hardik Pandya will be seen in Rohit Sharma's deputy role in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed the development on February 14 during a function to name the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium after Niranjan Shah ahead of the third Test between India and England.
Hardik Pandya's vice-captaincy confirmed for T20 World Cup
“Hardik Pandya will be India's vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2024. We all saw how Hardik got injured in ODI World Cup 2023, so we were thinking about who to hand over the captaincy role to," Jay Shah said.
Hardik Pandya is presently in rehabilitation for an ankle injury sustained during last year's ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh. He is working towards full fitness ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League, where he will lead the Mumbai Indians as captain, taking over from Rohit for the franchise.
Jay Shah also ended all speculation by revealing that Rohit Sharma will lead India in the T20 World Cup 2024.
“We may have lost the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. But we won hearts there by winning 10 matches in a row. I am confident that India will lift the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy at Barbados,” Shah further said.
'Talking about Rohit Sharma, he struck a brilliant century in the T20I series against Afghanistan. So we shouldn't question his captaincy in any which way as he certainly has the ability,” Jay Shah told reporters.
Hardik Pandya, who took the reins as full-time T20I captain in January 2023, is currently sidelined due to an ankle injury. This paved the way for Rohit Sharma's return to the T20 leadership role. Rohit hadn't donned the T20I captain's hat for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal. However, in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan, Rohit returned to lead India in the shortest format again. After back-to-back ducks, Rohit Sharma roared back with a century in the series-deciding T20I, reminding everyone of his captaincy heroics in the 2023 ODI World Cup where he led India to the final with blazing knocks. This announcement marks a shift in T20I leadership for India, with Rohit returning to the captaincy he held previously.
T20 World Cup drama from June 2
Notably, T20 World Cup is set to start from June 2 and will be played in the United States of America (USA) and the Caribbean across different venues. In the group stages of the 2024 T20 World Cup, India are scheduled to compete against Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and the co-hosts, USA.
The T20 World Cup 2024 will kick off with USA facing Canada in the opening match on June 2, and the grand finale is set to take place on June 29 in Barbados. The highly anticipated match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will unfold in New York City on June 9, adding another chapter to their storied history.
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