On June 29, Rohit Sharma won his first ICC trophy since taking over the captaincy in all formats. After the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, Rohit announced his retirement from the format alongside Virat Kohli. After Rohit’s retirement from T20Is, India are yet to name his successor in the shortest format. In the T20 World Cup 2024, Hardik Pandya was Rohit’s deputy. Now, he is one of the main contenders for the leadership role. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah was asked whether Pandya will take over the reins.
"Captaincy will be decided by the selectors and we will announce it after discussing with them,” Shah said as quoted by PTI.
Shah also lauded Pandya whose place in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad was questioned after a lacklustre Indian Premier League (IPL) season as Mumbai Indians (MI) where he copped flak from the fans. The fast-bowling all-rounder played a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup final win with the crucial wicket of Heinrich Klaasen to turn the game upside down.
"You asked about Hardik, there were lot of questions over his form but we and selectors showed faith in him and he proved himself," he added.
Pandya’s T20I captaincy record
After India’s T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal exit, Pandya was named stand-in captain. He led India in 16 T20Is. India won 10 games, lost five and one ended in no result.
However, an ankle injury in ODI World Cup 2023 ruled him out action for months. During this period Suryakumar Yadav was named captain for the side. He won five out of seven T20Is as captain.
Other contenders for T20I captaincy
While Shubman Gill has been named captain of the second-string side for five-T20I series against Zimbabwe, the selectors will name a new captain once the new head coach is finalised. So far, Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner for the top job.
Other contenders for the T20I captaincy are Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Sanju Samson as well. They have led India on the international stage in the absence of senior players.
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