Suryakumar Yadav is set to be appointed as India’s new T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya, the incumbent vice-captain of the side for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
It has been learnt that the newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir and the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar has discussed the leadership transition in detail with Hardik, and also informed him of the long-term plans for the shortest format.
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The selection committee meeting to pick the squad for the Sri Lanka tour, that was initially scheduled on Wednesday, has now been rescheduled to Thursday. The T20I series against Sri Lanka is scheduled from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. Reportedly, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah will be travelling to Sri Lanka for the annual ICC meeting which is scheduled to take place from July 19 to 22 in Colombo.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar, who was among the top aspirants along with Hardik for the post, and is a sure-starter in India’s first-choice XI, has been preferred to succeed Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the shortest format along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, after leading India to T20 World Cup glory in the Caribbean last month.
The reason behind SKY’s promotion to the role has more to do with Pandya’s fitness concerns, and with an eye to manage his workload, given that the star all-rounder’s services will be crucial as India targets the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
While Hardik, who served as Rohit’s deputy at the T20 World Cup and is a more experienced captain – he has led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, apart from leading Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, his injury-prone past might have led the decision makers to opt for a safer option in SKY.
Hardik had suffered an ankle injury during the 50-over World Cup at home last October-November and was out of action until the start of IPL 2024, when he returned to lead Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Since the start of 2022, Hardik has featured in just 46 of the 79 T20Is that India have played.
In contrast, SKY has previously led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia last November, followed by a 1-1 series scoreline in South Africa. He has also led Mumbai in the domestic circuit.
The T20Is in Sri Lanka will also be the team’s first assignment under Gambhir, who was appointed after the triumphant T20 World Cup campaign under Rahul Dravid. The new captain-coach duo is expected to work together in building the outfit for the next T20 World Cup that will be co-hosted by India in 2026.
Immediately after the T20 World Cup, a fresh-look Indian team captained by Shubman Gill toured Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series, and returned with a 4-1 series triumph. Coached by NCA head VVS Laxman, the squad included just three players from the side that won the World Cup, and comprised multiple debutants like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel among a few.
The squad for the Sri Lanka series could most likely have a few young guns from the Zimbabwe tour.
