Saba Karim. (Photo Source: X)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have to pick a suitable candidate to replace Rohit Sharma as the T20I captain after the legendary batter bid farewell to the shortest format in international cricket last month. He finished his T20I career on a massive high, leading the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup title.
Saba Karim, who had previously served as a national selector, pointed out that deciding India’s new T20I captain will be the first task for the current selectors ahead of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. He opined that Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav could be the two contenders for the prestigious role. Hardik is considered by many to be the frontrunner to take over the reins from Rohit as he has led the side in 16 T20Is in the absence of the Mumbai cricketer. The Baroda all-rounder was also the deputy of Rohit during the T20 World Cup.
“The first thing that needs to be decided is who will captain in T20Is. Rohit Sharma has retired, he won’t play T20Is. So you will have a new captain. I feel there are two contenders,” Karim told Sony Sports.
“If we see logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the winning World Cup campaign. He also captained India in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup which is going to happen after two years,” he elaborated.
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However, Karim feels that the No. 2-ranked T20I batter, Suryakumar, is also in the race to be the next skipper. The former wicketkeeper-batter recalled how well Suryakumar batted and led India to a 4-1 win in the five-match T20I series at home against Australia last year.
“I feel the discussion should be about SKY because Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the home series against Australia. India defeated Australia there and he also batted well. So he can definitely come forward as an option,” Karim reasoned.
“If the selectors feel Hardik Pandya has played a fantastic role and can do the same as a captain as well, he can definitely be the ideal candidate. So I feel these are the two contenders,” he added.