Allrounder Hardik Pandya is being looked as the viable successor to Rohit Sharma as India captain in T20Is but everyone in the team management isn’t ‘on the same page’. Pandya’s chequered record with fitness could be a factor in deciding India’s next T20I skipper.
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Not long ago, Pandya was part of India’s squads across formats. His Test career also began on a promising record with eye-catching performances with the bat and the ball.
However, a back injury forced Pandya out of action for a long period as he underwent a surgery in 2020 and ever since his recovery, hasn’t played Test cricket.
It seemed logical for the fast bowling allrounder to preserve him for white-ball cricket given the rigours of Test cricket and his fitness concerns. In T20Is, he was looked at as the next in line to takeover the captaincy from Rohit Sharma especially after the 2022 world cup in Australia.
However, during the 2023 ODI World Cup, he suffered a freak injury midway through the campaign which put an end to his tournament.
Again, he was pushed to the sidelines for a significant period and post the world cup, with Rohit Sharma rested and Pandya unavailable, Suryakumar Yadav led India in a five-match T20I series against Australia at home.
Although Pandya recovered by January this year, the BCCI announced Rohit will lead India at the 2024 World Cup even before they finalised the squad for the marquee event despite the senior batter having not played T20Is for over a year.
Now, with Rohit retiring from T20Is, Pandya seems to be the logical choice but he doesn’t seem to be a straightforward choice.
“It is a delicate matter. There is an argument on both sides of the debate and thus everyone is not on the same page,” The Indian Express quoted a BCCI source as saying on Pandya’s claim.
“Hardik’s fitness is an issue but he played a big role in breaking India’s ICC jinx. As for Suryakumar, we have received feedback from the team that his captaincy style was well received by the dressing room,” the source added.
The selectors are expected to name India squads by Tuesday for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka where two teams will play three ODIs and as many T20Is.
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