Even as Indian cricket and its fans across the globe soak in the afterglow of the T20 World Cup 2024 title triumph, the leadership of the national side in the shortest format of the game is up for grabs after skipper Rohit Sharma announced his T20I retirement on Saturday.
Rohit led India to its second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title and called time on his T20I career after leading the side in 62 matches in the 20-over format. Right after India beat South Africa in the final in Barbados, former India skipper Virat Kohli had also announced his retirement in T20Is. With the two batting giants no longer in the scheme of things in the format, Indian cricket, at least in T20Is, is set to usher in a new era.
A change in leadership seemed imminent after, under Rohit’s captaincy, India crashed out of the 2022 T20 World Cup following a 10-wicket defeat to England in the semifinal in November. Rohit didn’t feature in a single T20I following that defeat with Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav assuming the leadership for India’s T20I assignments.
However, Rohit returned to the fold in January this year for a three-match series against Afghanistan, which was India’s last assignment ahead of the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
With India beginning the next T20 World Cup cycle with a five-match series in Zimbabwe, which doesn’t include most senior players, here is a look at some captaincy options for the Men in Blue in 20-over cricket.
HARDIK PANDYA
The all-rounder is the front-runner to assume the leadership mantle in T20Is. He was named the vice-captain for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign and played a key role with both bat and ball in the title triumph.
Hardik also comes with leadership experience in the format, having led Gujarat Titans to the title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and taking the franchise to the final in the following season. He is currently the captain of Mumbai Indians. He also led India in 16 T20Is between 2022-23.
After India’s exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup, Hardik was named captain for a three-match series in New Zealand, which the Men in Blue won 1-0. He followed it up with a 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka and a 2-1 win over the Kiwis at home. His last T20I series as captain ended in a 2-3 away series defeat to West Indies last year in August.
Though Hardik has proven his captaincy credentials, balancing leadership duties with his crucial role as the seam-bowling all-rounder can be challenging. Hardik’s injury concerns have kept him out of action for a significant period of time and also often prevented him from completing his full quota of overs.
With Hardik also being a key member of the ODI side, it remains to be seen how the all-rounder balances the two formats.
SURYAKUMAR YADAV
Suryakumar is one of the leading T20 batters in the world and has been influential in India’s aggressive approach with the bat in the format. He led India in a five-match T20I series at home against Australia after the ODI World Cup last year and then captained the side in the T20Is in South Africa in December.
In his last match as captain, Suryakumar smashed a 56-ball century in India’s massive 106-run win against South Africa.
With the swashbuckling batter not yet a permanent fixture of the Test and ODI teams, Suryakumar will have the luxury of dedicating his focus to the shortest format of the game.
JASPRIT BUMRAH
India’s all-format pace ace is arguably the best in the business currently and the architect of the national side’s success of late. Though he has limited captaincy experience, Bumrah is known for his sharp acumen and game-awareness and has also been the vice-captain of the side. He led India in two T20Is last year against Ireland on his comeback trail from injury. However, given how vital his bowling is to India’s prospects in all three formats and his recent spate of injuries, the team management may not want to burden him with an additional responsibility.
RISHABH PANT
Pant made a remarkable comeback to competitive cricket after suffering a horrific car crash in December 2022. He led Delhi Capitals admirably in IPL 2024, also ending up as the team’s highest run-getter in the tournament. He has also captained India in the past, back in 2022 for a five-match series against South Africa at home, which ended in a 2-2 draw. However, Pant is yet to cement his place in India’s T20I playing eleven, and considering how the team has tended to experiment with the wicketkeeper’s slot in the shortest format, the management could look at a more tenable captaincy option.
SHUBMAN GILL
After taking over the reins of Gujarat Titans from Hardik, Gill will lead India in the upcoming five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. Though he didn’t figure in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Gill is likely to become a regular in the top-order in T20Is after the retirements of Rohit and Kohli.
Though he has no captaincy experience at the international level yet, the 24-year-old is a key member of the ODI and Test sides and will be one of the candidates the management will have its eye on as far as grooming a leader for the future is concerned.
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