Published 12:44 IST, November 19th 2022
Team India to embrace split captaincy? Is it end of road for Rohit Sharma as T20I captain?
As per the report, the new Team India Selection committee could give Rohit Sharma the captaincy of ODIs and Test, while Hardik Pandya could be the T20 skipper.
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The split captaincy theory has never been accepted in Indian cricket so far but the process will soon come into place once the new selection committee is appointed. While Rohit Sharma is leading team India across all formats, his responsibility could be shared with Hardik Pandya's name doing the rounds. Currently, Pandya is leading the team in the T20I series against New Zealand.
Will team India have different skippers for different formats?
Following Team India's embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup, there have been talks about Rohit Sharma being gradually eased out of the format. The current Team India skipper is already 35 and by the 2024 T20 World Cup, he will be 37. A BCCI insider while speaking to PTI earlier had said that there will be a brand new team in place with Hardik Pandya being the long-term captaincy choice.
In the latest development, PTI has reported that the new Team India selection committee will report to the apex council and will appoint a captain for each format. If the move does go through then Rohit Sharma's reign as T20I skipper could come to an end but he will still lead the team in ODIs and Test cricket. Hardik Pandya is likely to become Team India's skipper in the T20I format till T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies which will take place in 2024. The all-rounder in his maiden stint led Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title and also led the team in Ireland series.
Why BCCI could go with Hardik Pandya as Team India's next T20I skipper
Besides the age factor, Hardik Pandya while leading Titans to IPL glory took some tough calls even though unpleasant when needed. VVS Laxman calls him players captain since he backs players who have been going through a tough phase. Being a seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik provides an advantage since he can think from the bowler and batter's perspective. If Pandya manages to impress with his captaincy in New Zealand there is high chance that he will be able to land the job.
Chetan Sharma fired from BCCI selection committee position
The tenure of the Team India selection committee under Chetan Sharma ended on Friday after BCCI sacked the committee after Team India's failure to win the T20 World Cup. During Chetan Sharma's tenure, Team India also failed to reach the knock-out stage in the 2021 edition of T20 World Cup and lost the World Test Championships final. The BCCI on November 18 has invited applications for the position of national selectors. The candidate applying for the position should have played a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 First Class matches or 10 ODI and 20 First Class matches. The person applying for the position should have also retired from cricket at least 5 years ago.
12:44 IST, November 19th 2022