"He made it amply clear"- Gautam Gambhir reluctant to work with Hardik Pandya

Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is after India's 2024 T20 World Cup victory, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya has emerged as a frontrunner to become the new T20I captain. However, reports indicate that newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir is in favor of another player for the T20I captaincy.

India's T20I team is in a transition phase following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja from T20Is. The BCCI has not yet announced who will succeed Rohit Sharma as captain. The Men in Blue ended their 13-year-old World Cup trophy drought with a victory over South Africa in Barbados.

Hardik Pandya served as Rohit's deputy in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Pandya was initially seen as the frontrunner to succeed Rohit as India's T20I captain. However, India's top-ranked T20I batter, Suryakumar Yadav, is emerging as the leading candidate for the T20I captaincy, ahead of the Baroda all rounder.

There are rumors circulating that a decision on India's T20I captaincy has been delayed due to conflicting opinions among board officials, Gambhir, and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. The final call is expected to be made during a virtual selection meeting scheduled for the evening of Thursday, July 18.

Gautam Gambhir Didn't Directly Pitch For Suryakumar Yadav - BCCI Official

Hindustan Times reported that Gambhir indirectly favored Suryakumar Yadav for the T20I captaincy by stating that he would want to work with a captain who can play in all series before the T20 World Cup 2026.

“Although Gambhir did not directly pitch for Surya in the call, he made it amply clear that he would want to work with a captain whose workload does not become a stumbling block. Agarkar was clear with his views,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.

The selection committee is divided over appointing Hardik as captain, with some supporting him due to his role as vice-captain in the World Cup win. However, concerns persist over Hardik's injury history. The 30-year-old cricketer missed nearly six months after an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup last year.

Hardik Pandya is a more experienced captain compared to Suryakumar Yadav. The star all-rounder guided the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in 2022 and finished as runners-up in the following season. Pandya has led India in 16 T20Is, leading them to 10 wins and one tie. He also captained India in three ODI matches.

Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, has limited captaincy experience, having led India in only seven T20Is. The middle-order batsman has never led a team in the Indian Premier League. The 360-degree batter successfully led India to a 4-1 win against Australia and a 1-1 tie in South Africa during his brief captaincy stint.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to convene on Thursday, July 18, to finalize India's squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, comprising three T20Is and three ODIs. This series will be the beginning of Gautam Gambhir's coaching tenure for the Indian team in white-ball cricket.

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