Hardik Pandya Is The Right Option To Captain India In T20Is After Rohit Sharma, Feels Harbhajan Singh

Former India National Cricket Team off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has stated that the 29-year-old all-rounder Hardik Pandya is the “right option” to captain Team India in T20 Internationals (T20Is) after Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy responsibility in T20Is after India’s poor performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World 2021 in UAE. Under his leadership, India dominated and won several T20I series. However, the Men In Blue failed miserably in major tournaments.

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India failed to perform well in the Asia Cup 2022 and were unable to make it to the final of the tournament. Also, Rohit Sharma & Co. faced a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against the England National Cricket Team in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to get knocked out of the tournament.

Following India’s World Cup exit, many fans and experts called for a change in captaincy as the next T20 World Cup is in 2024. Also, Hardik Pandya is looked at as the front-runner to replace Rohit as the T20I skipper.

When asked in his interview with PTI if Hardik should lead India in T20Is after Rohit, Harbhajan responded:

“If it happens, Hardik is the right option.”

Notably, Hardik Pandya led newcomers Gujarat Titans (GT) to triumph in his debut season as captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Someone who has played the game more recently is better suited for the coaching job in T20s – Harbhajan Singh

Earlier, Harbhajan had said that India should hire coaches for the T20Is from players who have recently retired and understand the format better. He backed Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra to join India’s coaching staff in T20Is.

“In the T20 format, you can have someone like Ashish Nehra who recently retired from the game. He knows this better than, with all due respect to Rahul, we have played together for so many years, he has vast knowledge but this is a tricky format.

“Someone who has played the game more recently is better suited for the coaching job in T20s. I am not saying you remove Rahul from T20. Ashish and Rahul can work together to build this team for the 2024 World Cup,” Harbhajan said.

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