The newly-appointed head coach of men's cricket team Gautam Gambhir will have his first meeting with selectors ahead of Sri Lanka tour later this week. India are likely to have different captains for T20Is and ODIs after Rohit Sharma relinquished captaincy in the shortest format. While Rohit and other senior players are likely to be rested from the limited-overs series, Hardik Pandya is expected to be T20I captain whereas KL Rahul will lead the team in ODIs.
Pandya was India's vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2024. He was exceptional in the tournament with both bat and ball. The Baroda all-rounder has led India in 16 T20Is. India have won 10, lost five and one ended in tie under Pandya's leadership. On the other hand, Rahul has led India in 12 ODIs, winning eight of them.
“It is expected that in the absence of Rohit, Hardik and KL are the options to be given the responsibility of captain. Both have captained the team earlier,” a top source in BCCI told Sports Tak.
Who will lead India if Pandya pulls out of T20I series
If Pandya makes himself unavailable for the T20I series, then Suryakumar Yadav will don the captaincy hat. However, the chances of it happening are slim. Suryakumar led India in seven T20Is when Pandya was out injured. He led India to five wins from seven T20Is.
“If Hardik is not available for the T20Is, you might see Suryakumar Yadav as captain in T20Is and Rahul in ODIs. But for now, it seems that Hardik and KL will lead the team,” the source added.
India’s tour of Sri Lanka begins later this month
The Sri Lanka tour will start on July 27. The three-T20I series will conclude on July 30. The ODI series will be played from August 2 to 7.
While a new era in T20Is will begin with Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retiring after T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, India will begin their preparation for Champions Trophy 2025 with Sri Lanka tour. The last time India played in Sri Lanka was last year. India bundled out Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023 final for 50 to win the title.
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