Gambhir-Agarkar call to decide Hardik Pandya’s role in IND vs SL series

India squad for Sri Lanka tour will be out in the next few days with the new head coach Gautam Gambhir marking the beginning of a new era with the youngsters. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja bidding goodbyes to the shortest format, it is now a hot topic of debate whether Hardik Pandya should be the permanent T20I captain. Chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, will have a chat with Gambhir before the BCCI announces the India squad for Sri Lanka series before making it official.

Hardik Pandya was the designated vice-captain in T20 World Cup. And he seems to be the natural successor. However, things have changed since then.

“There are a lot of things they need to discuss regarding the team structure. Gautam will also need to plan for the future, especially T20 World Cup 2026. Hardik is definitely a huge topic of discussion. Both Gautam and Hardik need clarity on the role,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.

Who is next T20I captain?

That brings us to the question, is Hardik Pandya the next T20I captain? Hardik was destined to be the full-time next India captain during his time at Gujarat Titans. But Hardik’s nightmarish return to Mumbai Indians did not help his cause. It is understood that Gautam Gambhir too was not impressed with Hardik’s MI captaincy.

To make things even more difficult, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav too have captaincy aspirations. Add Rishabh Pant to the mix because of his young age, a captaincy call will be a tough one. There is no natural successor anymore as Rohit Sharma was when Virat Kohli stepped down. Hence, for the IND vs SL series, it is still unclear whether Hardik Pandya will assume full-time captaincy in T20Is.

Who will lead in ODIs?

With Rohit Sharma rested for the IND vs SL ODI series, India will also need to name a captain for ODIs. Like Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir is also in favour of continuity and he could ask for one captain for both formats. Dravid had to work with nine captains during his tenure due to workload management and injuries.

While it was assumed that Hardik will also be rested from the IND vs SL series, he is now going to be a part of it. And if he leads in the T20Is, it is likely that he will also assume ODI captaincy in Rohit’s absence.

Despite his IPL 2024 failure, Hardik Pandya has redeemed himself with T20 World Cup win. He was also the vice-captain in the ODI World Cup before an injury ruled him out.

But there is a KL Rahul question as well in ODIs. It must be noted that KL Rahul and Gambhir share a great rapport through their years together at the Lucknow Super Giants. Considering Rahul is undroppable in ODIs, Gambhir-Agarkar must take a call on Rahul’s role as well.

“Nothing is decided yet. We are fortunate to have a lot of captaincy options. Even if you see the squad for the Zimbabwe series, there were three IPL captains. On Sri Lanka tour, we will have such names again. It is about finding the right man for the job in Rohit’s absence,” the BCCI official said.

What’s in store for IND vs SL series?

A lot. Since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will not be part of the series, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee must take a call on Jasprit Bumrah as well. The MVP of India’s T20 World Cup triumph has been injury-prone and needs to be managed. Ahead of a string of home series, India could give him an extended rest.

Selectors will also need to take a call on Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan apart from Sanju Samson. Both Shreyas and Ishan have faced BCCI’s wrath for ignoring calls to play domestic cricket.

While Shreyas Iyer is all set to return for ODIs along with KL Rahul, it could be a toss-up between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan for the ODIs. With Rishabh Pant back in the Indian set-up, Gambhir must also discuss KL Rahul’s role. Rahul did an excellent job behind the stumps and with the bat in the ODI World Cup.

In all, the T20I side will be similar to the squad that went to Zimbabwe with the return of T20 World Cup winners. The ODI side will be experimental in the lead-up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.