Ravi Shastri Backs Hardik Pandya to Replace Rohit Sharma as T20I Captaincy of Team India

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed star all-rounder Hardik Pandya to be the new T20I captain of team India.

Shastri believes that having a split captaincy can help India, and Pandya should take over the reins in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in 2024.

The Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya is currently in New Zealand for the white-ball series, where he has been given the captaincy duties of the T20I team.

The former Mumbai Indians grabbed the eyeballs when he guided Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title in the very first attempt.

The Gujarat captain has also been impressive when leading India in the limited opportunities he has got so far, which includes a series victory over Ireland earlier this year.

“I think for T20 cricket, there’s no harm in having a new captain because the volume of cricket is such that for one player to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy,” Shastri said in a virtual press conference organized by Prime Video.

“Rohit is already leading in one-day and test matches. There’s no harm in identifying a new T20 Captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it.”

Notably, Hardik Pandya is currently the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as a captain in the shortest format, especially after India’s semi-final exit at T20 World Cup 2022.

The 35-year-old had a horrible outing in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022. The Mumbai Indians captain needs to take a tough call on giving up a captaincy in at least one format to focus on the 50-over World Cup, which will be held in India in October-November 2023.