Sunil Gavaskar picks India's next T20I captain after World Cup loss under Rohit Sharma

Now that India are in a stage where a transition is almost guaranteed at least in the shortest format of the game after their exit from the T20 World Cup following a humiliating defeat to England, Hardik seems to have an edge over other contenders like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant to be flag bearer. Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar certainly thinks so.

Shivani
Published on: 12 Nov 2022 12:28 PM GMT
Sunil Gavaskar picks Indias next T20I captain after World Cup loss under Rohit Sharma
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Hardik Pandya's stocks are on the rise, both as a player and also as a leader. The upswing had started when he led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in its first appearance and this, after he was making a comeback to competitive cricket after a long injury layoff. He led from the with both and ball and also with inspiring captaincy decisions on the field that had a telling impact on the outcome of some of the matches. Hardik carried on with the same work in the Indian side, making match-winning contributions with both and ball every now and then. His leadership skill was put to test in a two-match T20I series in Ireland. He came out in flying colours with a 2-0 sweep.

Now that India are in a stage where a transition is almost guaranteed at least in the shortest format of the game after their exit from the T20 World Cup following a humiliating defeat to England in the semi-final, Hardik seems to have an edge over other contenders like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant to be flag bearer. Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar certainly thinks Hardik is ready.

"Yes, he (Hardik Pandya) should be the next India captain as far as T20 cricket is concerned," Gavaskar said on India Today.

That Hardik is the best seam-bowling all-rounder in India, does not need to be proven but his fitness might become a factor when deciding the next white-ball captain of India. It is only this year that he has started bowling regularly. But the selection committee appears to be ready to take that gamble. Hardik will lead India in the three-match T20I series in New Zealand that is set to begin on November 18. The likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik have all been rested from that tour. And chances are high that a few of them will not play a T20I again for India.

You will probably see in the next few games that there will be a (change) after the New Zealand tour particularly. You know that the teams have been selected right till the end of the Bangladesh tour. So there won't be any change till the New Year. So if any change has to happen it will happen in the domestic international season," Gavaskar added.

Shivani

Shivani

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