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Hardik made T20 captain vs Sri Lanka, Pant dropped from white-ball squads

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1 year ago

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The BBCI is going all out in its attempts to revive the fortunes of Indian cricket.

India crashed to a humiliating defeat against England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.

India’s ageing T20 side was no match for the energetic and fearless English side and it was clear that the a shake-up was needed.

Full credit to the BCCI for grabbing the bull by the horns and showing intent!

As a first step, it has elevated Hardik Pandya to the post of India’s T20 Captain.

India will host Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs from Jan. 3.

Pandya had last led India to victory over New Zealand in a T20 fixture in November.

Pandya also captained the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League title this year in their debut season.

He will also serve as vice-captain under Rohit for the ODI series, replacing KL Rahul.

However, a decision on whether this move is a permanent one will only be made when new selectors come in.
He is likely to remain India’s captain till 2024 T20 World CUP. Hardik also gets ODI vice-captaincy in KL Rahul’s place.
“Time has come for Hardik Pandya’s elevation as India’s T20 captain.”
“Rohit Sharma and various others in current squad are unlikely to sustain till 2024. For sake of Indian Cricket’s future the baton will be passed by Rohit to Hardik for T20 team.”, confirmed top source in BCCI.
The T20I side bears a fresh look with Rahul Tripathi and Shubman Gill’s inclusion and two young seamers Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar earning their maiden call-ups.
Notably, Shikhar Dhawan was not included in the ODI squad after scoring just 18 runs across three matches in Bangladesh.
Interestingly, both Rishabh Pant and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are missing from the T20I and ODI squads.
Whether this is a temporary move or a permanent one, only time will tell.
Rohit Sharma joined the selection meeting via video conferencing.
Rohit is nursing a thumb injury and is racing against time to be fit for the ODI series.

“Rohit is yet to be 100% and we don’t want to take any risk when it comes to injury. Jadeja and Bumrah are back at the NCA. Their prognosis is good. If they clear the fitness test, they will be eligible for selection.”, a senior BCCI official said.

If Rohit fails to regain full fitness, Hardik Pandya will take over as ODI captain as well.

Another heartening news is the elevation of Suryakumar Yadav as vice-captain of the T20 squad against Sri Lanka.

India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.

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