Not Hardik Pandya! Virender Sehwag backs this youngster to become India's next T20I captain
Now with the retirement of star batter Rohit Sharma from the shortest format, the biggest question that has cropped up is who will take over the captaincy reins.
The Indian team lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 but it was a bittersweet win as three of the biggest stars called it their end in the shortest format.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli and dynamic all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja decided to call it quits in T20Is.
Now with the retirement of star batter Rohit Sharma from the shortest format, the biggest question that has cropped up is who will take over the captaincy reins.
While premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya is amongst the favourites to be Rohit's successor, former India opener Virender Sehwag had an interesting choice.
The Men in Blue are next set to face Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series in which talented young batter Shubman Gill has been named as leader while the selectors decided to rest the seniors after the T20 World Cup 2024.
Echoing on the same lines, Sehwag namedropped Shubman Gill to take over the captaincy responsibilities over Hardik Pandya.
Virender Sehwag explains his choice
Shubman Gill has previous experience of leading a side, having captained Gujarat Titans earlier this year in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
Sehwag said on Cricbuzz, “Shubman Gill is for the long haul. He’s a player who plays all three formats. He’s had a great last year. He was unlucky to miss out on the 2024 T20 World Cup. According to me, it is the right decision to make him the captain. When Rohit Sharma leaves tomorrow, Shubman Gill will be his right replacement for captaincy.”
The roster for the Zimbabwe tour features three players from the main T20 World Cup lineup: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson. The rest of the T20 World Cup squad has been given a break.
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They will be joined by Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed, who were on the reserve list for the T20 World Cup touring party.
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