Suryakumar Yadav is set to assume the T20I captaincy until the 2026 T20 World Cup, as reported by Indian media on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya served as India's vice-captain during the T20 World Cup 2024 under Rohit Sharma, marking a natural progression in his career thus far.
The Indian all-rounder remains available for upcoming T20 matches against Sri Lanka this month. However, it has emerged that Suryakumar, who captained India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, is the preferred choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
Reportedly, Gambhir and Agarkar discussed this leadership change with Pandya earlier today, explaining that a long-term strategy is being pursued to ensure stability. The vacancy in T20I leadership arose after Rohit retired from international cricket in the shortest format following India's World Cup victory last month in the West Indies.
Pandya will take a break during the three-match ODI series against the island nation for “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.
Earlier, it was reported that Gambhir wants Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rohit Sharma to feature in the upcoming ODI series.
There had been reports that Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja would not be featuring in Sri Lanka’s ODI series to continue their break from cricket after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 but Gambhir’s request could cut short their vacation.
The reason Gambhir wants the three senior players to feature in the Sri Lanka series is that after the matches, India will have a break of six weeks as they will then face Bangladesh in a home Test series in Chennai on September 19.
- Suryakumar Yadav
