The issue of who will be India’s next T20I captain is the burning topic on cricket’s discussion boards across platforms and could probably explain the reason for the postponement of an announcement regarding white-ball squads for the tour of Sri Lanka starting July 27.
According to various sources, BCCI had planned to unveil the teams on Wednesday but there was no consensus yet on whether Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav would lead in T20Is hence the announcement has been delayed by another day and now reportedly scheduled for Thursday.
Having led India to victory in last month’s T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is. This left BCCI with a decision to take; should they bring back Hardik as skipper in the shortest format or let Surykumar Yadav who took over from Hardik after he got injured last year continue leading our team in T20 internationals?
Hardly had he been able to play competitive cricket again since then after suffering ankle damage during last year’s ODI World Cup and returning through IPL this year. In that interval though, Surya captained India when they won their five-match T20I series against Australia with a score of 4-1.
Further more, new coach Gautam Gambhir is reportedly skeptical about Hardik’s physical condition for reasons that allrounder has undergone injuries (back, ankle) lately.
Some reports also noted that Gambhir had an intense conversation with BCCI secretary Jay Shah via video call from Delhi where they discussed the future plans but failed to agree on who should become a captain in twenty twenty internationals as Gambhir liked Surya while Shah supported Hardik.
In addition, seniors like Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are expected to rest for this tour. Although a report by Cricbuzz on Wednesday claimed that Rohit might make himself available for the three-match ODI series.
After T20 World Cup, which was recently ended, Sri Lanka tour will be Gambhir’s first assignment as a head coach replacing Rahul Dravid in that role.
The tour begins on July 27 when the first game of a three-match T20I series is played.
