“I feel there are 2 contenders” – Saba Karim on India’s next T20I captain

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim reckons either Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav will take the captaincy baton from Rohit Sharma after the veteran recently announced his T20I retirement following India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup.

While Pandya led in Rohit Sharma’s absence after the T20 World Cup 2022, Suryakumar Yadav was given the captaincy reins in the T20I series against South Africa and Australia in 2023 when Pandya was out with an injury. 

Shubman Gill recently led India in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe but the BCCI is yet to announce Rohit’s successor in T20Is.

“The first thing that needs to be decided is who will captain in T20Is. Rohit Sharma has retired, he won’t play T20Is. So you will have a new captain. I feel there are two contenders,” Saba Karim said on Sony Sports.

Karim backed Hardik Pandya to be India’s next T20I captain as he played as Rohit Sharma’s deputy in the T20I showpiece.

“If we see logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the winning World Cup campaign. He also captained India in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup which is going to happen after two years,” Saba Karim elaborated.

The former selector feels Suryakumar Yadav is the other contender in the captaincy race.

“I feel the discussion should be about SKY because Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the home series against Australia. India defeated Australia there and he also batted well. So he can definitely come forward as an option,” he reasoned.

Karim added the Ajit Agarkar-led selection and new head coach Gautam Gambhir will need to discuss if Hardik Pandya can take the team forward as a leader.

​​”As far as I feel, the discussion will be about who will take the team forward in T20Is, who is the most suitable candidate. As I said, since Hardik Pandya has been the vice-captain, he should be made if you see logically, but in the end, the selectors and head coach will have to think whether he can take the team forward as a captain,” he said.

India will next take on Sri Lanka in three T20Is and as many ODIs, which will be Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as the team’s head coach.