Suryakumar Yadav is anticipated to be named the Indian cricket team captain for the forthcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, taking captaincy over the current vice-captain, Hardik Pandya, as per a report. Following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory, the trio of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the T20I format in international cricket. Shubman Gill captained the team in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, but with Gautam Gambhir stepping in as head coach ahead of the Sri Lanka series, Suryakumar is now being considered for the captaincy.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, although Hardik Pandya was initially considered to succeed Rohit as the long-term T20I captain, concerns about his fitness and workload management might lead to Suryakumar being appointed instead. Hardik has missed several matches over the past year due to injuries.
It is reported that Gambhir and Agarkar discussed this change with Pandya earlier in the evening, explaining that a long-term captaincy solution was being finalized to ensure stability. The T20 leadership role became available after Rohit Sharma retired from international T20 cricket following India’s World Cup triumph last month in the West Indies.
Pandya, a key player in that victory, will take a break during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka for “personal reasons.” The T20I series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to be held from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, with the ODI series following from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. The squad for these matches will be announced soon.
“Hardik Pandya served as India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is fully fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was initially slated to lead the side, but there is a strong belief that Suryakumar Yadav could be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but until the 2026 World Cup,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity. “Hardik’s break from ODIs is for personal reasons. He does not have any fitness issues as is being suggested in the media,” the official added.
