New Delhi: Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are in contention for India’s T20I captaincy. As per the recent reports, Suryakumar is the front-runner to lead the Men in Blue in the shortest format until the T20 World Cup 2026.
The preference to choose Suryakumar as the new T20I captain is mainly due to Hardik’s inconsistent fitness record. The all-rounder led the team in Rohit’s absence and was considered the favourite to take over the captaincy from him. He was also the vice-captain of the team in T20 World Cup 2026.
But Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and even Bumrah also led the team in the T20I format. After the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from the T20I cricket, Team India is all set to go through a transition phase. The BCCI wants a full-time captain to lead the team in the shortest format.
Gambhir, Rohit prefer Suryakumar to lead in the shortest format: Reports
According to a few media reports, Team India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir and former T20I captain Rohit Sharma prefer Suryakumar Yadav as the next skipper of the T20I side. Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have already shared this decision with Hardik.
Hardik is more experienced and has led Team India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is. The all-rounder also won an IPL trophy with Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022 and led them to the final in 2023. He also took over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians from Rohit Sharma.
Hardik got injured during the 50-over World Cup in Pune against Bangladesh and was ruled out of the World Cup. He made his comeback in the IPL 2024 but failed to deliver great performances with the bat and ball.
Suryakumar Yadav led Team India to a 4-1 victory in the T20I series against Australia. He also led the Men in Blue in the T20I series against South Africa.
Former T20I captain Rohit Sharma and new head coach Gautam Gambhir want Suryakumar Yadav to lead Team India in the shortest format. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
