16 July,2024 09:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Suryakumar Yadav (Pic: File Pic)
Premier batsman Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as the dark horse to become Team India's new T20I captain till the 2026 World Cup and might pip top contender Hardik Pandya who was assigned as the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Hardik Pandya made himself available for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, but it is learnt that Suryakumar Yadav is being preferred as the new captain for the Indian team according to new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman Ajit Agarkar.
Suryakumar has captained the "Men in Blue" in eight T20I matches against Australia and South Africa.
It is learnt that both Gambhir and Agarkar spoke to Pandya about this change of plan earlier this evening and explained to him that a long-term option was being finalised to ensure stability.
The captaincy slot is empty after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.
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Pandya, one of the heroes of that victory, will take a break during the three-match ODI series against the island nation due to "personal reasons". The T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.
The squad for the series is expected to be announced in the next couple of days. "Hardik Pandya was India's T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side but there is a very strong feeling that SKY would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"Hardik's break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. He doesn't have any fitness issue as is being suggested in the media," the official said.
The 33-year-old Suryakumar is believed to be one of the most popular players in the Indian dressing room. It was under Gambhir's captaincy at the Kolkata Knight Riders that he made a name for himself as a T20 player and got nicknamed 'SKY' by the then skipper.
Hardik Pandya was seen as an obvious choice as captain after Rohit's retirement, but many factors came into play. His performance as Mumbai Indians captain was underwhelming and the selectors are in no mood to assign him the captaincy task.
The selectors won't mind seeing him play Vijay Hazare Trophy this season to get some 50-over practice. About the ODI series against Sri Lanka, the BCCI official confirmed that Hardik Pandya has asked for a leave and has communicated the same to Rohit Sharma. The Indian skipper himself is on a break from this series.
With this, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are the contenders for the leadership role in the ODIs.
Earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah made it clear that even seven-star cricketers must feature in domestic cricket when they are not on national duty. But exceptions will be made for the likes of Rohit, Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The BCCI would, however, want all the other Test specialists to play at least one if not a couple of Duleep Trophy games in August as a precursor to the Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
"This time there is no zonal selection committee for the Duleep Trophy. Only the national selection committee will pick Duleep teams. All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not," the source added.
(With PTI Inputs)
