T20I Captaincy: Hardik or Surya, who will be Rohit’s successor? Know the first choice of head coach and selectors
The BCCI will soon reveal the Indian team that will be touring Sri Lanka. Hardik Pandya, a talented all-round player, could be named captain for the T20 series’ three games. But for personal reasons, he will be taking a vacation during the ODI series.
Rohit Sharma gave from playing T20 international cricket after winning the T20 World Cup 2024. Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli have also stepped down from this format at the same time. Team India is now considering a shift. The leading candidate to replace Hitman as the T20 team captain is Hardik Pandya. But according to a recent study, Suryakumar Yadav is capable of surpassing him.
Competition between Pandya and Hardik for captaincy
Suryakumar Yadav is the frontrunner to become India’s T20 captain by the T20 World Cup 2026. He can replace Hardik Pandya. Pandya can lead the team on the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. However, now a report has stated that Surya, who led India in eight T20 matches against Australia and South Africa last year, is the first choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar.
Team will be announced soon for Sri Lanka tour
Soon BCCI will announce Team India for India’s tour of Sri Lanka. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya may be given the captaincy for the three-match T20 series. However, he will be on a break due to personal reasons during the ODI series. A three-match T20 series will be played in Pallekele from 27 to 30 July. After this, the same number of ODI matches will be played in Colombo from 2-7 August.
Surya may get a big responsibility
“Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is fully fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side but there is a strong possibility that Surya will be the likely captain not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup as well,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Surya has played under Gambhir’s leadership
Suryakumar Yadav made his mark as a T20 player under Gambhir’s captaincy in Kolkata Knight Riders. Hardik was considered Rohit’s successor, but the picture seems to be changing now. His performance as captain of Mumbai Indians was disappointing and the selectors are not in a mood to let him play as per his choice. For ODI matches, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are contenders for the leadership role.