Would it make sense to appoint Hardik Pandya as India’s T20I captain?

(Cricket news) India's exit from the T20 World Cup in the semi-final has been really disappointing. There have been a lot of calls by experts and fans to change things in T20Is. Next up India will be taking on New Zealand in 3 T20Is in which Hardik Pandya will be the captain while Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been rested. There have been reports that BCCI could appoint Hardik Pandya as the permanent Indian T20 captain. Pandya's leadership skills were on display when he led Gujarat Titans to the IPL trophy in his very first season as captain. The next T20 World Cup is in 2024 which is a long time away but the team definitely has to start building right now.

By the time the next World Cup comes, Rohit Sharma would be 37 years old. Pandya is definitely a strong candidate for captaincy in the future but making him captain right now would be very bold. Rohit Sharma hasn't had enough time to prove his leadership quality at the international stage, bearing in mind he is the most successful IPL captain. Sharma is definitely going to continue as the Test and ODI captain. Virat Kohli left the T20I captaincy and was subsequently sacked as ODI captain because the BCCI wanted to keep 1 captain for both white ball formats. Now if they make Pandya captain, then it would look like the selectors are not staying true to their word.

Rohit Sharma has been the all format captain for less than a year and he certainly deserves more time and more tournaments. T20Is will not be prioritized for the next year because the priority will be ODIs and Tests as there is an ODI World Cup coming up and the WTC is also happening simultaneously. The T20Is will be used as a platform to give the younger lot a chance to see if they can handle international cricket. There have also been talks of keeping a different coach for red ball and white ball but that is certainly not happening till Rahul Dravid's current tenure comes to an end.

Also read: 33 years since Sachin Tendulkar's international debut against Pakistan

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