India T20 Captain: Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant OUT of race!! Hardik Pandya gets punched by this player

With Rohit Sharma retiring from T20I cricket after the T20 World Cup, BCCI is mulling over Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav as options for India's next T20I skipper. Hardik has previously led India in T20Is while SKY has been a crucial batter at number four.

Both were a part of India's T20 World Cup-winning side and made some notable performances. SKY finished with 199 runs in the tournament while Hardik finished with 144 runs and 11 wickets. The decision needs to be taken soon as India's tour to Sri Lanka kicks off with a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series.

Meanwhile, keeping in mind his recent all-round performances in the T20 World Cup, Pandya seems to be the frontrunner at this point. However, new head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision will be key in the matter. He will take charge of the team starting with the Sri Lana series as India looks towards the Gambhir era of coaching.

Also Read: 'It's important to...' - Rohit Sharma finally reveals his leadership secrets

Hardik Pandya And Suryakumar Yadav Options For India's Next T20I Skipper

The selection committee was keen on naming Hardik Pandya as the next T20I skipper of the side after Rohit led India to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. However, Hardik's string of injury concerns made the management go back to Rohit Sharma as the skipper of the format heading into the T20 World Cup and as it turned out he won the title. However, now that Rohit retired from T20Is, India needs to usher in a new captain with the younger generation of players.

“It is a delicate matter. There is an argument on both sides of the debate and thus everyone is not on the same page. Hardik’s fitness is an issue but he played a big role in breaking India’s ICC jinx. As for Suryakumar, we have received feedback from the team that his captaincy style was well received by the dressing room,” said a BCCI source involved in decision-making.

Suryakumar Yadav too had his issues with injuries. He had his sports hernia operation done leading into IPL 2024. He also struggled with an ankle injury. The decision-makers within the board felt Pandya could be the choice to lead the Indian side as he was appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team during the World Cup.

Meanwhile, as per reports, Hardik Pandy has already informed the BCCI that he will not participate in the ODI series against Sri Lanka due to personal reasons.

Meanwhile, reports further say that Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach of the Indian cricket team has urged the senior players in the squad like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka as the players will be getting a long break after the series before India start playing Test matches.

Previous there were reports that Rohit and Virat will skip the ODI series against Sri Lanka as India play non-stop Test cricket from September. Jasprit Bumrah was also likely to be given a break.

"Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50-over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Also Read: Virat Kohli or Jasprit Bumrah? Rohit Sharma reveals his favorite Indian player but with a twist