After leading India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title win, Rohit Sharma announced his decision to retire from the shortest format of the game. The 37-year-old Rohit, who made his T20I debut for India on September 19, 2007 against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup match in Durban, finished his career with 4231 runs in 159 T20Is, which is a record for most runs scored by any player in the shortest format of the game. In addition to that, he also won 50 out of 62 T20Is as Indian captain, which is the world record for most wins.
After Rohit calls time on his T20I career, India will have to appoint a new captain, and it will be interesting to see who gets the chance to lead the side.
Here’s a look at five players who can become India’s new T20I captain:
- Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya was Rohit’s deputy in the T20 World Cup 2024 and has led India in 16 T20Is so far, out of which the Men in Blue won 10. Hardik, who played in two IPL finals as Gujarat Titans captain (in 2022 and 2023), will be the favourite to take the job. With 100 T20I appearances to his name, the 30-year-old all-rounder is the most senior player in India’s T20I set-up after Rohit and Virat Kohli’s retirements.
- Suryakumar Yadav: Former world No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav has led India in seven T20Is so far. He made his captaincy debut against Australia in November 2023 and then captained the side in two T20Is against South Africa as well, in the absence of Rohit and Hardik. The 33-year-old is a regular member of India’s T20I team and can be considered for the top job.
- Jasprit Bumrah: Jasprit Bumrah is a regular member of the Indian team in all three formats of the game and has led India in one Test and two T20Is so far. The 30-year-old right-arm pacer, who won the Player of the Series award in the T20 World Cup 2024, has never led in the IPL but can be a great choice due to his understanding of the game. With 89 wickets to his name in 70 T20Is, Bumrah is India’s third-leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game.
- Rishabh Pant: Rishabh Pant has led India in five T20Is so far, and in the IPL, he has been leading the Delhi Capitals since 2021. With huge captaincy experience on his back and age on his side, Pant, who is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in T20Is, can be an ideal long-term replacement for Rohit.
- Shubman Gill: Young opening batter Shubman Gill will make his captaincy debut for India in the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The 24-year-old right-handed batter from Punjab, who missed out on a place in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, will have a great chance to not just secure his place in India’s T20I team but also present a case to become India’s new T20I captain.
In addition to the above-mentioned five players, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer can also be considered by the BCCI for the leadership role. CSK skipper Gaikwad proved his mettle by leading India to a gold medal win in the Asian Games last year (2023), and Iyer is the first captain to reach the IPL final with two franchises. He helped KKR end the decade-long wait for a third IPL title in 2024 by getting the better of SRH in the final.
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