Still soaking in the glory of Team India’s T20 World Cup title win, fans will be dealing with a younger side in the upcoming five-match T20I series vs Zimbabwe. After the T20 World Cup final, captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is and so did Virat Kohli.
For the upcoming series, the BCCI have named Shubman Gill as the skipper, but will he continue in that role once the World Cup-winning members return to action. Many experts and fans feel Hardik Pandya is the obvious choice as he is already the vice-captain.
Speaking to SportsNow, former BCCI selector Saba Karim said, “Potential yes but at this stage I think it’s very early for the selectors to actually decide who can be the captain in the years to come. There are a number of aspirants, Hardik Pandya right now is the vice-captain and I think with Rohit’s departure, it is more obvious that Pandya will take up the reins.”
“But yes, I think the Indian selectors have always looked at Shubman Gill as an all-format player and they feel he does have the required leadership skills to take the team forward, that is why this Zimbabwe series will be quite exciting for Gill not as a batter but also as a captain,” he further added.
Gill missed out on a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad, and was named in the reserves, losing his place to Yashasvi Jaiswal. He will be looking to silence his critics and prove his mettle as an all-format player in the upcoming series.
Also speaking on replacements for Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, Karim said, “I think most of them are suited to this, I think international cricket is a different challenge altogether. I think all such cricketers who are in the fray if they can prepare well and execute the plans of the management, I’m sure they will take time,” he said.
“There are so many hopefuls, be it Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, or Abhishek Sharma, there are 3-4 slots open right now, two openers plus number 3. All three-four names, I have taken can stake a claim,” he added.