File photo of Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill.©BCCI
With Team India set to visit Sri Lanka for a white-ball series later this month, former selector Saba Karim has joined the debate over the new captain of the T20I team. India will play three T20Is and the same number of ODIs against Sri Lanka. Although India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20I after the T20 World Cup triumph, it is highly likely that the veteran batsman will be rested during the six-match tour. However, the BCCI is yet to announce the squad for the series, and also the captain(s) for the T20I and ODI rubbers.
Amid the ongoing discussion over India’s next T20I captain, Karim feels Hardik Pandya should be Rohit’s natural replacement, having also led the team in the past in his absence.
“The first thing that needs to be decided is who will captain the T20Is. Rohit Sharma has retired, he will not play the T20Is. Then you will have a new captain. I feel there are two candidates. If we see it logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the victorious World Cup campaign. He was also India’s captain in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup, which will take place after two years,” Karim said. he told Sony Sports.
Karim also made a surprise recommendation on Suryakumar Yadav, who led India last year against Australia during a T20I series at home.
“I think the discussion should be about SKY because Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the home series against Australia. India defeated Australia there and he also batted well. a fantastic role and can also do the same as captain, he could definitely be the ideal candidate, so I feel like those are the two candidates,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill led a young Indian team in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which ended on Sunday with the visitors winning the series 4-1.
After losing the series opener, Gill and his boys beat the hosts in the remaining matches.
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