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latest indian cricket news : Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian cricket team as captain in the next T20I series with Sri Lanka. This is a surprise because Hardik Pandya, the current vice-captain, was expected to get the job. This change comes after India won the T20 World Cup 2024. After that big win, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja decided to stop playing T20 internationals for good.
Shubman Gill had led the T20I series against Zimbabwe, but with Gautam Gambhir now the head coach, Suryakumar is being considered for captaincy. ESPN Cricinfo reported that while Hardik was a strong contender to replace Rohit as the long-term T20I captain, concerns over his fitness and workload have led to Suryakumar being preferred. Hardik has missed several matches in the past year due to injuries.
Gambhir and selection committee head Ajit Agarkar discussed this change with Hardik, explaining that they wanted a stable long-term captain. Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20 internationals left the captaincy role open after India’s World Cup win in the West Indies last month.
Hardik, who was instrumental in that victory, will miss the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka due to personal reasons. The T20I series will take place from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. The squad for the series will be announced soon.
“Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side, but there is a strong feeling that SKY would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup,” a senior BCCI source told PTI anonymously.
“Hardik’s break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. He doesn’t have any fitness issue as is being suggested in the media,” the official added.
