Not Hardik Pandya, THIS Ex-KKR Player Likely To Captain India In T20Is Under Gautam Gambhir's Coaching- Report

An ex-KKR player is set to replace Hardik Pandya as the top captaincy choice for India in the T20Is under Gautam Gambhir's coaching reign.

Team India will undergo a new journey as Gautam Gambhir has taken up the coaching reins of the team from Rahul Dravid. The Gambhir era will start as India travel to Sri Lanka for a T20I series starting on July 27, followed by an ODI series. After Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the T20I format, speculations were that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will take up the captaincy role as he was the vice-captain. Interestingly, contrary to expectations, Suryakumar Yadav is the new, and stronger contender for the job.

According to a PTI report, Pandya made himself available for the upcoming T20 matches against Sri Lanka this month. However, it has come to light that Suryakumar, who led India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, is the preferred choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, keeping the T20 World Cup 2026 in mind.

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"Hardik Pandya was India's T2O 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 very strong feeling that SKY would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup," PTI quotes an anonymous senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source as stating.

Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav plied his trades for Indian Premeir League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2014 till 2017, a period when Gautam Gambhir was the team captain.

Hardik Pandya Likely To Miss The Sri Lanka ODIs

The report states that Hardik Pandya, a key player in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory, will take a break during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka for personal reasons. The BCCI official clarified that his absence is not due to any fitness issues, contrary to media speculation.

"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 stated.

The T20Is against Sri Lanka will take place from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.