Suryakumar Yadav likely to be appointed next T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya

The Board of Control for Cricket in India might opt to hand over the captaincy of the T20I team to Suryakumar Yadav instead of Hardik Pandya, IndiaToday.in has learnt.

Speaking to the masthead on Tuesday, 16 July, BCCI sources have said that the decision is being mulled by ‘keeping the longer picture in mind’. Sources suggested that the selection panel wants to appoint someone keeping the T20 World Cup in mind, a player who can be available for a longer period of time.

Sources further confirmed that Hardik Pandya will be available in the T20I series but the captaincy might be handed to Suryakumar Yadav. The team announcement is likely in a day or two.

Suryakumar Yadav has captained India in two T20I series right after the 2023 ODI World Cup. Suryakumar beat Australia and South Africa in those series and won 5 out of the 7 matches that he captained in.

As a batter, Suryakumar enjoyed fantastic form, hitting two fifties and a hundred, amassing 300 runs in those 7 matches. The batter is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the shortest format of the international game.

Yadav currently plays under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya at MI. Pandya had a very poor time as the captain of the franchise in the Indian Premier League’s 2024 season. He made a roaring comeback amidst mounting criticism in the T20 World Cup 2024 and was one of India’s heroes in the final against South Africa.

Pandya played the T20 World Cup as the vice-captain of the India and had been leading India in the T20I format in the absence of Rohit Sharma after India’s T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final loss against England. After Rohit Sharma returned to the T20I side in January 2024, Hardik was handed the position of the vice captain, when he returned to the side after a long layover due to ankle injury.