The Indian cricket board (BCCI), which has been considering the idea recently, is likely to name Hardik Pandya India's white-ball captain in the near future.
According to sources with knowledge of the recent development, Hardik Pandya and the BCCI top brass have discussed the plan, and the Gujarat Titans captain has asked for some time to respond to the board's line of thinking.
Although no decision has been made regarding Rohit Sharma's replacement as captain, the BCCI is considering giving Hardik the reins of the white-ball teams.
The board is anticipated to wait for Hardik's perspective on the idea. The final decision will only be made after consulting with the newly formed senior selection committee. During the board's Apex Council meeting on Wednesday, the topic of captaincy was not covered.
"This strategy has been discussed with him by the BCCI. The all-arounder has been requesting a response for a few days. Let's find out his opinion. Although no decision has been made regarding this, we are considering giving him the white-ball cricket captaincy. Let's monitor how things develop" a key source stated.
India was led by Rohit Sharma at the T20 World Cup, one year after Virat Kohli's team was eliminated during the Super 12. India made it past the Super 12 stage in Australia, but they were thoroughly outplayed by England in the semi-final.
Sunil Gavaskar is one of many ex-cricketers who supports Hardik Pandya in his bid to become India's next T20I captain with an eye toward the T20 World Cup in 2024. In the few chances he has had to guide the team in the quickest format of the game, Hardik has excelled.
In 2022, Hardik had a sensational comeback story as the all-rounder overcame a history of back problems to lead Gujarat Titans to IPL victory in their inaugural season of the T20 league. People raised an eyebrow when the Titans named Hardik their captain, but the Baroda all-rounder proved doubters wrong by leading them to victory in their inaugural season.
After IPL 2022, Hardik was given the chance to captain India's T20I team for the first time, and he guided the team to a 2-0 victory in Ireland. In the final Twenty20 match of a five-match series in the West Indies, Hardik again led India. In a recent three-match T20I series in New Zealand, he steered India to a 1-0 victory.
The upcoming T20I series between India and Sri Lanka is set to begin on January 3 in Mumbai, and all-arounder Hardik Pandya will likely captain India in it. Rajkot (January 5) and Pune (January 5) will host the second and third games of the series, respectively (January 7).
Rohit Sharma's thumb injury is understood to require additional healing time. Though it is unclear at this time whether Rohit will relinquish his T20 captaincy or whether the issue will be postponed for the time being.
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