IND vs SL T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya - Captaincy debate intensifies as Gautam Gambhir meets selectors

IND vs SL 2024: After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20 international cricket following the T20 World Cup win, there have been constant speculations on who will lead the side in the shortest format in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Earlier, there were reports that Hardik Pandya, one of the heroes of World Cup victory, was set to lead Team India in T20 International. However, there has been a twist to this, as a new name is emerging to lead the team i.e. Suryakumar Yadav.

Yadav, placed at the 2nd spot and the only Indian player in the top five of the Men's T20I Batting ranking, is the preferred choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. Last year, Yadav had captained India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa. Reports by PTI stated that both Gambhir and Agarkar have already spoken to Pandya about this change of plan and also explained to him that a long-term option was being finalised to ensure stability.

Team India's new head coach who was part of an informal call with the BCCI officials and the selection committee on Tuesday though did not take Yadav's name but he did mention that “he would want to work with a captain whose workload does not become a stumbling bloc,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.

In another claim, a report by the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran stated that Suryakumar Yadav's name as a captaincy candidate for the Indian T20I team appears to be influenced by Rohit Sharma. The report furthermore claimed that Sharma was also the one to give the nod for Gambhir to coach Team India. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has close connections with BCCI secretary Jay Shah. All this is adding another layer to the dynamics and influences within the team and the decision-making process.

Will Suryakumar Yadav be India's T20 captain till the 2026 World Cup?

While speaking to news agency PTI on anonymity, a BCCI source said, “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.”

(With inputs from agecnies)