Team India gave an excellent performance in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand at home, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. The hosts clean-swept both by a margin of 3-0 and took the top spot in the ODI rankings. But in the shortest format, all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been leading Team India.
Hardik has proved himself to be a great asset as a leader as he led India to a series win over Sri Lanka, earlier this month. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra predicts that Rohit will keep to captain India in the Tests and ODIs, while all-arounder Pandya should continue to be in charge of the T20I team. He also said that Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant will be the top contender for the future Indian captains.
“I don’t think we will see a single captain for all formats just yet, I think those days are over. Rohit Sharma will be the Test team’s captain till the WTC, that’s not going to change – it is going to stay like that. Hardik Pandya is currently the captain in the T20 format, and I think he will continue to do so and in the 20-20 World Cup 2024, you will see Pandya be the captain of the Indian team,” he said on JioCinema’s new daily sports show Aakashvani.
It will be Sbubman Gill and Rishabh Pant: Aakash Chopra
“In One-Day cricket, Rohit Sharma will continue to be the captain till the World Cup. But I think in the long term, in terms of India’s captaincy, it will be Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. These are my two candidates for India’s captaincy in the future,” he added.
Talking about India’s first T20I match against New Zealand, the Kiwis beat India by 21 runs in the first T20I at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, January 27, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Batting first, New Zealand scored 176 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell scored quick fifties to help the Kiwis reach a good total. India were 127-8 at one stage in the chase, but Washington Sundar’s fifty helped the team reach a respectable total of 155 runs.
