India’s fast bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I skipper after the latter announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game after winning the T20 World Cup 2024. Pandya will be rewarded for his exceptional performance in the mega-event whereas ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be named the team’s vice-captain.
Pandya was crucial to India’s T20 World Cup glory as the all-rounder bowled the last over against the Proteas in the final and defended the target. During the match, he also removed Heinrich Klaasen who almost took the game away from the Men in Blue. For the captaincy, the names of Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav were also discussed but Pandya emerged as the favourite and is likely to lead the team in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
The goal is to give Pandya enough time and matches to make sure he is ready for the 2026 T20 World Cup which will be played in India and Sri Lanka. India are currently playing a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe where Shubman Gill is leading the team. The series is tied 1-1 after the Blues made an impressive comeback in the second T20I and registered a 100-run win.
Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Secretary, Jay Shah, confirmed that Rohit will lead the Indian cricket team in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 and Champions Trophy 2025. Sharma recently ended India’s 11-year-long ICC trophy drought and guided them to a T20 World Cup win when the Blues defeated South Africa in a thrilling final in Bridgetown.
Sharma was appointed India’s captain in 2021 after Virat Kohli stepped down and since then, the Blues made it to the WTC 2021-23 final and the ODI World Cup 2023 final where they lost to Australia on both occasions. “I am confident that under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, we will win the WTC Final and the Champions Trophy,” Shah said in a video shared by the BCCI.
Pandya has led India in 16 T20Is and led them to wins in 10 of them. He also donned the captain’s hat three times in ODIs. In 2022, Hardik also succeeded as the captain of GT, leading them to their maiden IPL title. Hardik was asked about being the potential replacement for Rohit keeping the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind, but the Mumbai Indians skipper chose to remain tight-lipped on the possibility and rather spoke about the incumbent India skipper and Kohli.
“There is a lot of time for 2026. I am very happy for both Rohit and Virat…two giants and legends of Indian cricket thoroughly deserved this. It has been so amazing playing with them for so many years. We all will miss them but at the same point, this is the best farewell we can give them…,” he said. India’s first assignment post-T20 World Cup will be a three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, starting July 5. Shivam Dube will be the only member of the present World Cup squad to participate in the tour, and Gill will lead the Indian side.
Hardik might return for the three-match T20Is against Sri Lanka later in July before the regular ODI side will take on the Islanders in a three-match contest in August in preparations for the Champions Trophy. With the retirement of the veterans, the think tank is expected to groom leadership candidates in their upcoming white-ball assignments. The two-time champions will also appoint a full-time captain of the Indian side in the shortest format. Since 2022, India have been led by Pant, Hardik, KL Rahul, Bumrah, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Suryakumar in the absence of regular captain Rohit. With Rohit calling time on his incredible T20I career, it will be interesting to see who will get BCCI’s final nod to become the regular captain of the Asian giants.
According to a poll, white-ball maverick Hardik has emerged as a frontrunner to become the full-time T20I captain. The T20 World Cup 2024 hero amassed 50% of the votes to become an outright favourite for the captaincy throne. Hardik was followed by pace ace Bumrah, who was named the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup. Former world no.1 batter Suryakumar finished third while stand-in skipper for the Zimbabwe series, Shubman Gill, bagged the fourth spot.
