With Hardik Pandya set for a brief spell on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage, Suryakumar Yadav will play the remaining Cricket World Cup games. That also means he won’t be part of the India vs Australia T20 series. That creates a dilemma for the selection committee as the entire World Cup squad will be on rest. Hence, it is likely that Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led India to the Asian Games gold medal will lead in IND vs AUS T20 series.
The idea was to have Suryakumar Yadav lead in the five-match T20 series if Hardik Pandya plays all World Cup games. Or if Hardik returns late, he could have led in the T20 series. But now, Hardik will need at least six weeks to recover, rulling him out.
Who will lead India in IND vs AUS T20 series?
With both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav out of the series apart from the stars in Cricket World Cup including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul among others, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the only candidate to lead in IND vs AUS T20 series.
“The idea was to have Surya or Ruturaj leading. Now, if Hardik misses a lot more games, selectors may think of giving him the captaincy. We will take a call next week after assessing Hardik’s fitness,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport last week.
Apart from Ruturaj Gaikwad, India will have another captain in Sanju Samson, who has led Rajasthan Royals and Kerala. However, it is unlikely that he will get the captaincy responsibility in the IND vs AUS T20 series.
India’s probable squad
As there is now a clear picture of Hardik Pandya, selectors will take a call on the squad after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on Nov 6.
The squad will be similar to the Asian Games squad. However, there will be discussions on a few performers in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Riyan Parag has been in superb form and would expect a call-up without all senior players. Similarly, Sanju Samson who has been left out of both the Asian Games and World Cup squad would return.
However, it is unlikely that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will return to the side. The veteran has been out of reckoning since T20 World Cup and with Prasidh Krishna and other young pacers making a mark.
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