Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma unite to sideline Hardik Pandya, endorse Suryakumar Yadav for T20I captaincy

Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are reportedly in contention to become Team India's new T20I captain. Former captain Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after leading the team to victory in the T20 World Cup last month and the BCCI is yet to announce the replacement.

Not very long ago, Hardik Pandya was seen as the front-runner to replace Rohit as the T20I captain. The allrounder had led the team last year when Rohit did not play T20Is. He was also the vice-captain during the T20 World Cup and played a huge role in India's triumph.

Pandya smashed 144 runs at an average of 48 and picked up 11 wickets as well. His brilliant performances also helped him become the first Indian to occupy the No. 1 spot for T20I all-rounders in ICC rankings. However, Suryakumar Yadav has not only joined the race to become the new captain but is also the favorite to replace Rohit.

According to reports, one of the main reasons behind Suryakumar Yadav being preferred over Pandya is the latter's poor fitness record. According a the Times of India, the star batter is all set to become India's new captain in the shortest format of the game.

The report stated that newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir as well as former captain Rohit prefer Suryakumar over Pandya. Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have already conveyed the decision to Pandya.

Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant record in T20Is:

Suryakumar Yadav has been an indispensable part of India's T20I team since making his debut in the format in 2021. The right-handed batsman has been the backbone of India's batting in the shortest format of the game.

So far, he has played 68 matches and has scored 2340 runs at an average of 43.33 and a strike rate of 167.74. The Mumbai star has also hit four centuries in T20Is. He is not new to captaincy either and has led India in 7 games so far. Of those 7 games, India won 5.

Suryakumar is likely to be confirmed as the captain once the BCCI announces the squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. India are scheduled to play 3 T20Is and as many ODIs against Sri Lanka.