Reports of the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya taking over the white-ball captaincy has been ablaze. Pandya looks all set to continue to lead Team India in T20Is even if he isn’t named the full-time white-ball captain soon. He recently led the Indian cricket team in the white-ball series against Bangladesh in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who was ruled out because of an injury.
For the unversed, during the 2nd ODI match against Bangladesh, Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the series opener following a thumb injury, following which he was ruled out of the third ODI and subsequently from the 1st Test match as well. Rohit had flown to Mumbai to get the best treatment. Now according to a report by the PTI, Rohit Sharma’s injury is likely to take some more time to heal. While Hardik Pandya will be seen leading the team in Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul will be his deputy.
The report further adds that Rohit is not in the scheme of things for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Rohit’s fitness has become a matter of concern in the past year. He has missed many matches due to fitness issues and isn’t part of the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh either.
Talking about Pandya’s elevation, the star all-rounder has star all-rounder overcame recurring back injury woes to lead Gujarat Titans to an IPL win in their first attempt in the T20 league. His powerful comeback to form was nothing short of an inspiration. Hardik continued his purple patch as he made a comeback on the Indian national side and impressed everyone with his all-around show. He has also led the Indian cricket team to 4 wins in 5 T20Is in Rohit’s absence. Several former cricketers and experts have backed him for the captaincy role.
Rohit Sharma, who took over the full-time job in 2021, is likely to be replaced by Hardik Pandya anytime soon. An official update regarding Rohit’s T20I future should be out soon.
