Rohit Sharma retired from T20I cricket after leading India to the T20 World Cup 2024 in June this year. Ever since the captain bid goodbye to the format, experts and fans have been mulling over who will be the next India T20I skipper. Former India keeper Saba Karim has also shared his views on this matter and suggested two names.
While Shubman Gill captained a young India side in Zimbabwe recently and won the five-T20I series 4-1, the Indian team’s real next era in T20Is without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja begins in Sri Lanka.
The Men in Blue will face the Lankan Lions in three T20Is and as many ODIs, with the first T20I to be played in Pallekele on July 27. This Sri Lanka tour will also mark the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as the new India head coach.
Saba Karim stated that selecting Rohit Sharma’s successor as India’s T20I captain will be the selectors’ top priority. The former India wicketkeeper-batter pointed out that Hardik is the logical option as the Men in Blue’s next T20I skipper.
“The first thing that needs to be decided is who will captain in T20Is. Rohit Sharma has retired, he won’t play T20Is. So you will have a new captain. I feel there are two contenders. If we see logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the winning World Cup campaign. He also captained India in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup which is going to happen after two years,” Saba Karim told Star Sports.
The second option Saba Karim suggested was that of Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar Yadav has captained India in T20Is in South Africa and other matches when both Rohit and Hardik were unavailable.
“I feel the discussion should be about SKY because Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the home series against Australia. India defeated Australia there and he also batted well. So he can definitely come forward as an option,” he reasoned.
Suryakumar captained India in 7 T20Is, including five against Australia and two against South Africa, last year. India won two of those matches, with Surya scoring 300 runs at an average of 42.85 and a strike rate of 164.83 in seven innings.
Selectors need to see if Hardik Pandya can take the team forward: Saba Karim
During the same session, Saba Karim stated that the Indian selectors and Gautam Gambhir will need to decide whether Hardik Pandya is the best contender to lead the team forward.
Hardik has guided India to ten wins in 16 T20I matches. He also led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title and the IPL 2023 final, however, he struggled in his first season as Mumbai Indians captain.
“As far as I feel, the discussion will be about who will take the team forward in T20Is, and who is the most suitable candidate. As I said, since Hardik Pandya has been the vice-captain, he should be made if you see logically, but in the end, the selectors and head coach will have to think about whether he can take the team forward as a captain.
If the selectors feel Hardik Pandya has played a fantastic role and can do the same as a captain as well, he can definitely be the ideal candidate. So I feel these are the two contenders,” the former India selector added.
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