Not Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer!! Suresh Raina Names India's Next MS Dhoni-like captain
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Former CSK veteran Suresh Raina has sidelined the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill and has backed Hardik Pandya as the most ideal captain of the Indian white-ball team, drawing comparisons with the two World Cup-winning Indian skippers, Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni.
The debate over the appointment of a new Indian skipper has been making headlines ever since the buzz over Rohit Sharma's retirement made the rounds on social media platforms.
There has been a debate over whether Indian Test skipper Gill should be offered the role or it should be handed to Shreyas Iyer.
Former CSK and Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who has now retired from cricket and taken up several new roles as a cricket analyst and commentator, recently opined on the same matter, and his views would startle every ICT fan.
Suresh Raina picks Shubman Gill over Shreyas Iyer for Indian captaincy
In a recent appearance on the Subhankar Mishra show, former Indian star batter Suresh Raina, who won the ICC World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy with the Indian team, has made an easy pick between the two Indian stars, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
In the show, host Mishra asked the former CSK veteran who would be his ideal pick, ending the recent debate over India's captaincy between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.
Raina did not hesitate a bit, nor did he take a minute's pause to reconsider his decision, as he simply picked Shubman Gill, saying, "Gill any day."
Raina backs Hardik Pandya as the most deserving player for white-ball captaincy
However, Raina, who was asked to pick his choice between Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, had some other plans in his head, as he picked one among the above-mentioned two but then named Hardik Pandya as the most ideal player to take up the captaincy role in the Indian white-ball team.
He said, "...but I think in white-ball cricket, Hardik Pandya will do a lot of miracles as a captain."
Hardik Pandya was, anyway, the most ideal player who was considered as India's next white-ball captain after Rohit Sharma by the Indian management as well as the Indian fans. However, Gautam Gambhir's antics once again intervened as he cited Pandya's frequent injuries as the major reason for sidelining him from the race for India captaincy.
Instead, Suryakumar Yadav was picked as the T20I skipper, while Shubman Gill has now made the headlines for taking over Rohit Sharma as the ODI skipper and later adopting the role of T20I captaincy as well from Surya. These speculations surfaced when he was picked as the vice-captain for the Asia Cup.
Hardik Pandya said to have Kapil Dev-like 'experience' and glimpse of MS Dhoni-like 'leadership'
Hardik has often been seen leading the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and previously led the Gujarat Titans to a maiden title win in their debut season as their skipper. Keeping aside his captaincy, he is a regular contributor who manages to excel with the bat or ball.
"I think he should be reappointed as the skipper of the Indian team, as he has a Kapil Dev-like experience," Raina lauds Pandya's all-round skills.
"He is a very positive guy, a player's captain, which shows glimpses of the legendary skipper MS Dhoni. The way he conducts the energy on the field is impressive," concluded Raina.
Statements by Suresh Raina:
— Nenu (@Nenu_yedavani) August 30, 2025
- Gill over Iyer any day
- Hardik will do miracles as captain
- He has Kapil dev level experience
- He is a player's Captain
- He gives me glimpses of MS Dhoni
Anyways Hardik is always there as a leader,Target Asia cup and T20wc ❤️ pic.twitter.com/c28RZtTQvz
ALSO READ: Suresh Raina on CSK radar!! To join MS Dhoni in his last IPL season
Tagged:
MS Dhoni Kapil Dev Hardik Pandya Suresh Raina Shubman Gill Shreyas Iyer India National Cricket Team Chennai Super Kings
