“Hardik Pandya will be the captain even if Rohit, Kohli or anyone is available,” says former India cricketer Aakash Chopra after the Indian team was announced for Sri Lanka series

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Hardik Pandya will become the next India captain even if players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are available for selection. The Gujarat Titans captain will now lead the Indian team in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. India will also play an ODI series against their neighbours.

Chopra who is very vocal about the selection and the happenings around the Indian Cricket team in general, broke down the recently selected squad for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. There he shared his piece of mind regarding Hardik Pandya becoming the next Indian captain even with the presence of seniors in the team.

“The big news is that Hardik Pandya has become the T20 captain. I feel Hardik Pandya will be the captain even if Rohit, Kohli or anyone is available. Rohit was unavailable and no one is telling about Kohli, because the selection committee hasn’t said anything about who they have rested and who they have dropped,” Chopra stated.

There are news on Rishabh Pant who will be skipping the Sri Lanka series for workload management. But Chopra is very unsure about Pant’s inclusion in the New Zealand series. He feels that the wicketkeeper batter may not be a part of that series aswell.

“We have been trying to read news based on sources until now. It has been heard that because there is a four-Test series against Australia, Pant has been sent to the NCA for workload management. But before that, there will be six matches against New Zealand, we really don’t know if his name will come in that or not.”

There are reports suggesting that Pant has been sent to NCA for strength and conditioning with a special focus on his red ball skills. While he has not set the stage on fire in white ball cricket, he will look to do well in the upcoming series and make a strong case for himself in the upcoming ODI World Cup scheduled in India.

It is also interesting to see how India has gone with only one legspinner in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal. Young leggie, Ravi Bishnoi also did well but has not made it to the team so India are sure to go ahead with Chahal in the starting eleven as per Chopra.

“Yuzi Chahal is the only leg-spinner in the T20I squad, which means Ravi Bishnoi who used to be there with him, his name is no longer there, and Kuldeep Yadav is also not there. So the Indian team is ready to go with just one leg-spinner and it seems he will get to play.”

India will also have the likes of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel in the mix who will add batting depth to the team allowing Chahl to play as an out and out spinner. But if India wants to go with three seamers then they have to make a tough call and drop one of the three spinners.