Weeks after India's triumph at the T20 World Cup, held in USA and the West Indies, the BCCI have already set sights on the next edition, which will be played in 2026. The team is going through a transition phase with senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having announced their retirement from the shorter format. While the team has no dearth in talent to fill up the big boots of Rohit and Kohli, the question which hogs most limelight is the choice of leadership.
Hardik Pandya, who has the experience of leading two IPL franchises and India previously, is the name touted by many, but reports suggest that he may fall out of race.
As reported by ESPNCricinfo, it will be Suryakumar Yadav, who'll be seen leading the side in the shorter format. The report mentioned that Suryakumar can be seen wearing the captain's band right from the Sri Lanka series, which is all set to begin towards the end of this month.
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Although Hardik is more experienced between the two, having led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is and obviously the two IPL franchises, it is his fitness, which forced the management to search for other options.
The premier all-rounder has been prone to injuries, and was forced to leave the ODI World Cup midway due to an ankle injury and remained out of action until the start of IPL 2024. If we look at the numbers, Hardik featured in 46 of the 79 T20Is India played since the beginning of 2022.
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Suryakumar, on the other hand, also has a bit of a captaincy experience. The middle-order batter has led Mumbai previously in the domestic circuit, and also took charge of India not so long back. Under Suryakumar's leadership India clinched a 4-1 series win against Australia last November.
"Hardik Pandya was India's T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side but there is a very strong feeling that SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
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The T20I series in Sri Lanka will be Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as the head coach. The series is also seen as the first stepping stone towards building a formidable side for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played in the sub-continent.
As per reports the selectors will meet on Wednesday to finalise the squad for the three T20Is, and three ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, a second string Indian team, led by Shubman Gill, had travelled to Zimbabwe earlier this month for a five-match T20I series, which India won 4-1. The squad featured just three players from the side that won the World Cup.
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