The BCCI selectors are set to continue to exclude Rohit Sharma from India’s T20I team for the tour of West Indies and all-rounder Hardik Pandya will retain his position as the interim T20I skipper.
India will fly to West Indies in July for an all-format tour. The rubber will kick-off with 2 Tests, followed by 3 ODIs, and will conclude with a 5-match T20I series.
After a break of full one-month, while Indian Skipper Sharma is expected to lead India in Tests – the series will kick-start India’s WTC 2023-25 cycle – and in ODIs, he’s all but certain to not be selected for the T20I series, where all rounder Pandya will captain the Men In Blue.
Since the T20 World Cup 2022 last year in Australia, where India exited in the semi-final loss to England under Rohit, Hardik has led India in the shortest format as Skipper, along with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, have been rested to be fresh for the two longer formats.
Rohit Sharma to miss T20Is again, Hardik Pandya touted as future white-ball captain
India played their last T20I on February 1, after which the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL 2023, and the WTC Final grabbed the headlines.
It is learned that the 36-year-old Rohit is not to be in the plans of the selectors for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in West Indies and the USA, and the selectors and BCCI want to groom Hardik Pandya, who has led Gujarat Titans to two IPL finals in two seasons, winning the IPL last year, as their skipper for next year’s T20 WC.
While the seniors will be out of place in the T20I team for WI tours, the selectors are believed to give call-ups to players who have performed well in the IPL and domestic cricket, namely, Yashasvi Jaiswa, Rinku Singh, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are likely to be included in the T20I squad too to face WI and Sanju Samson is believed to make his comeback.
