The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources have revealed that after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game, at the end of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, winning it for the second time, the sensational all-rounder of the national side Hardik Pandya is set to take over the reins of the India T20I team, with KL Rahul to lead the ODI side in Rohit’s absence.
The opening batter of the side had an excellent time in the last two ICC tournaments of alternative formats, as they became the runners-up of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India under his captaincy, before clinching the T20 World Cup 2024, in the Caribbean.
Now the road of the senior player suggests that he is likely to focus more on the red-ball games, and a little more on the 50-over format, which means Rohit is likely to take a break from the Sri Lanka tour, while Hardik Pandya could become the new captain of the side.
Hardik Pandya’s experience will be vital for India in the shortest format
It won’t be the first time that Gujrat born will be leading the Indian side, as he has done it in the past on quite a few occasions, whether it’s against Ireland or the West Indies team. And he has also displayed his immense skills in leadership.
The BCCI top source has expressed to Times Now that Hardik Pandya is being prepared to lead the Indian team in the absence of Rohit from the format.
‘Hardik Pandya is all set to lead the Indian team in the T20 format after Rohit Sharma’s retirement. He is unlikely to be rested for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.’ A top source of BCCI has remarked to ‘Times Now’. ‘In ODIs, KL Rahul will lead the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma as BCCI believes he makes his runs in the longer format.’
The swashbuckling all-rounder has displayed his skills of leadership. Without a shadow of a doubt, the last few months in the IPL, captaining the Mumbai Indians (MI) hasn’t been an easy one for him, as they finished with the wooden spoon, but the fact can’t be hidden how good a person he is in taking vital decisions.
The example was already set when under him, Gujarat Titans became the winners in their very first edition of the tournament in 2022, beating the Rajasthan Royals, before almost winning the second in back-to-back seasons, but ended as the runners-up against the Chennai Super Kings team during the IPL 2023.
KL Rahul seems to be the choice in the ODI format for the Indian team in Rohit Sharma’s absence, as he has done it in South Africa when Virat Kohli took retirement in 2022. Being a wicket-keeper, he understands the dimension of the ground, and the field positions pretty well, and has been sharp enough in taking a few decisions.
The move also indicates BCCI’s new way of having two different white-ball format captains, as the team would come under the charge of new head coach Gautam Gambhir during their next white-ball series in Sri Lanka. The official announcement is yet to be made, but that’s the likeliest sign of where the board is heading.
Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Says Hardik Pandya Has Proved To Be A ‘True Asset’ For Team India
It has also been known that Abhishek Nayar could be the new batting coach for the Indian team, while the names of Zaheer Kahn and Lakshmipati Balaji for the bowling coach position are floating around.
‘BCCI doesn’t want one person (head coach) to have full autonomy and intends to keep the control within the board.’ revealed the source dismissing the probability of Vinay Kumar being the new bowling coach of the side.
All these perceptions would get new life before India’s Sri Lanka series starts on July 27.