IND vs SL: Hardik Pandya T20I captaincy – Hardik Pandya is all set to lead India in the home T20I series against Sri Lanka starting Wednesday. However, not everyone is happy with the way things are moving forward. After Gautam Gambhir backing Rohit Sharma for the T20 captaincy, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is against making Hardik Pandya India’s full-time T20I captain. Follow IND vs SL LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
IND vs SL: After Gautam Gambhir, former India all rounder Irfan Pathan is against Hardik Pandya being made full time T20 Captain, Check Details
#TeamIndia squad for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/iXNqsMkL0Q
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 27, 2022
Irfan Pathan, who represented India in 24 T20Is between 2006 and 2012, cited fitness as the major concern behind his assessment. Hardik made a remarkable return to international cricket in 2022, post career-threatening back injury, and that’s exactly what Irfan wants the lanky all-rounder to be extremely cautious of.
“When there was talk about his captaincy, I was extremely impressed with his approach but along with that India will have to keep in mind that if you are making him the long-term captain, they will have to concentrate a lot on his fitness, whether you talk about him or the team management. It will be very crucial going ahead,” he added.
Hardik Pandya has unofficially replaced Rohit Sharma as Indian T20I captain following the World Cup debacle in Australia. Though it is not official yet, Hardik is widely regarded as the man to lead India in the shortest format in the future. The 38-year-old former all-rounder though was highly impressed with Hardik Pandya’s captaincy with Gujarat Titans in 2022 IPL.
“The captaincy Hardik has done, whether it was for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL or at the start for India, I felt the communication was extremely good. He was seen as very agile,” Pathan told official broadcasters.
Hardik led India to 1-0 win over New Zealand in T20I series last year. Ever since he made his comeback post recovery, Hardik has contributed with the both the bat and the ball.
He was a star for India in the 2022 Asia Cup and won matches single-handedly. He also did well in the T20 World Cup in Australia. However, with the additional burden of captaincy, it seems possible that Hardik might only concentrate on his batting, and only bowl when required.
Not just Irfan Pathan, ex-India opener Gautam Gambhir also believes that India should continue with Rohit Sharma as T20 skipper, despite Hardik Pandya’s rise as a leader.
“Judging Rohit Sharma by just one ICC tournament is not the parameter for us to judge him. We will have to wait and watch,” Gambhir had said.
The former Indian cricketers might have merit in their arguments, the fact though remains that the BCCI selectors have already decided to look forward. Most of the seniors who were a part of the 2022 T20 World Cup, have been left out of the T20I series against Sri Lanka at home.
This also includes the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and others. The team bears a fresh look with Hardik Pandya as the in-charge of the squad.
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.
IND vs SL: Full Schedule, Venues & Timings
| Date | Time(IST) | Match | Venue |
| Jan 03, Tue | 7:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Jan 05, Thu | 7:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| Jan 07, Sat | 7:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
| Jan 10, Tue | 2:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati |
| Jan 12, Thu | 2:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Jan 15, Sun | 2:00 PM | India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram |
IND vs SL: After Gautam Gambhir, former India all rounder Irfan Pathan is against Hardik Pandya being made full time T20 Captain, Check Details
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As we inch closer to welcoming the New Year 🎊, let’s take a look back at some of the 🔝 moments for #TeamIndia in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/8d6OFCX0u6
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 31, 2022
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