Jasprit Bumrah snubbed as Dinesh Karthik picks India's next T20I captain under head coach Gautam Gambhir

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has picked Hardik Pandya as India's next captain in the T20I format. Rohit Sharma is leading India currently in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 but the tournament is likely to be his last T20 assignment in international cricket.

Currently, Rohit is 37, which means he will be 39 by the time the next T20 World Cup starts. The recent indications from BCCI also suggest that senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will focus on Test and ODI cricket after the T20 World Cup 2024 whereas youngsters will be preferred for the T20 format.

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Dinesh Karthik picks Hardik Pandya as India's next T20I captain

While speaking on a video posted by Cricbuzz on social media, Dinesh Karthik was asked about India's next T20I captain among Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill.

Karthik had no hesitation in saying that Hardik Pandya should be India's next T20I captain since he has led India previously as well.

"I think Hardik should be the next captain. He is the vice-captain of this World Cup and he was leading India before Rohit came back to take it over. So, I think Hardik will be the next captain," Karthik said in the video posted by Cricbuzz.

Hardik Pandya's record as India's T20I captain

Hardik Pandya has led India in 16 T20Is in which India registered 10 wins and 5 defeats while 1 match ended in a tie. After the completion of the T20 World Cup 2022, India made wholesale changes in their squad.

Senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were told to focus on the longer formats keeping the WTC final and the ODI World Cup 2023 in mind. However, the senior players returned to the fore in the T20I series against Afghanistan played earlier this year, which raised questions about their comeback.

Ultimately, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were selected for the squad of T20 World Cup 2024 and Rohit Sharma was appointed the captain of the team. Hardik Pandya was given the role of vice-captain.

Hardik Pandya's form in T20 World Cup 2024

Pandya is in excellent form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 where he has contributed with both bat and ball. He has scored 116 runs in four innings while being dismissed just twice at a healthy strike rate of 145. He played crucial knocks in all the Super 8 games against Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Australia.

Hardik Pandya has been equally lethal with the ball this tournament. He has picked up 8 wickets in six matches so far at an average of 19.62 and an economy rate of 7.47. He picked up wickets at crucial intervals in the matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA in the group stage.

His selection in the T20 World Cup 2024 was under question because of his poor returns in the IPL 2024. But Hardik, as he often does, has turned out to be one of India's most important players in this World Cup so far.