In responding to a question on India’s potential T20I captain, Jay Shah mentions Hardik Pandya but gives selectors the final say

The pickers will determine who will succeed Rohit as India’s new Twenty20 international captain, according to statements made on Monday by Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Indian team’s interim leader for the last two years, Hardik Pandya, is vying to be the team’s permanent captain in the game’s shortest format. Following India’s victory in the T20 World Cup last month, Rohit announced the end of his T20I career.

“We will announce the captaincy after discussing with the selectors, who will decide on it,” Shah was cited by News18 Cricket Next.

In response to a question about whether or not the all-rounder might succeed Rohit, Shah mentioned the player. Previous to joining the Mumbai Indians for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Hardik had an incredible record as captain in the game’s shortest format. He led the five-time champions to the worst finish, and his awful performance with the bat and ball didn’t assist his team’s cause either. But the BCCI trusted him, and Shah was pleased that the player from Baroda performed so well in the recently finished T20 World Cup.

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You inquired about Hardik, and while there were many doubts regarding his form, both the selectors and we had faith in him, and he proved us right,” Shah replied.

During India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, Hardik amassed 144 runs at a strike rate of 151.57 and claimed 11 wickets at an economy of 7.64. David Miller and Kagiso Rabada were both bowled out by him in the final over of the match against South Africa. This came after he had previously turned down the potentially hazardous Heinrich Klaasen, which marked a turning point in the fascinating exchange. Hardik didn’t say anything about his replacing Rohit after the final.

“2026 has plenty of time ahead of it. I couldn’t be happier for the two titans of Indian cricket, Rohit and Virat, who truly deserved this. Playing with them for so long has been such an incredible experience. This is the nicest goodbye we can give them, even though we will all miss them, Pandya remarked following the game.

The five-match Twenty20 International series between Zimbabwe and India will begin on July 6. The majority of the senior players were rested for the tour by the BCCI. Shubman Gill is going to lead the Men in Blue.