Hardik Pandya has emerged as a front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain if the latter’s career continues to slide after he missed the final Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Indian vice-captain came out to the toss at the SCG on Friday and said Rohit had decided to ‘rest’ from the Test. However, some media reports in India claimed otherwise, saying he had been dropped because of his underwhelming form and 31 runs in the last three Tests.
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But seeing him not available on the team sheet, pundits and former cricketers have said that the last game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) might have been Rohit’s last Test. If it were to be his last international game too, given he’s 37 years old, India would need a new ODI captain to take over the team for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE.
“Hardik has the knack for leading in high-pressure situations, and his experience as an all-rounder and leader makes him an ideal choice for an ICC tournament like the Champions Trophy,” MyKhel quoted an unnamed source as saying.
The reported source also ruled out IPL’s Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav as possible options.
“Gill needs more grooming to mature into a leader, and SKY’s ODI performances haven’t been convincing enough. Hardik remains the most balanced option to lead India in ODIs if Rohit is unavailable,” the source added.
Hardik has previously led India in three ODIs — against Australia in March 2023 (five-wicket win), and against the West Indies in July and August of the same year (six-wicket defeat and a 200-run win). The all-rounder, who doesn’t play Tests, was earlier seen as a T20 captaincy option too, but the BCCI eventually with with Suryakumar after Rohit retired from the format.
Hardik had earlier replaced Rohit as Mumbai Indians’ captain in IPL 2024 after being traded in from the Giants (who then made Gill the captain). However, under him, the franchise finished bottom of the table for its worst-ever result in a season. However, before that, he led the Giants to back-to-back finals, even winning the 2022 season
First Published: Jan 3, 2025 3:48 PM IST
