Gambhir and Agarkar push for Suryakumar Yadav as next India T20I captain

The transition of India's T20I captaincy has been unexpectedly complex. While there's no official word from the BCCI on Rohit Sharma's successor after his T20I retirement, speculation suggests a split decision among board officials, new head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.

Initially, Hardik Pandya, who served as vice-captain during the T20 World Cup, was the preferred candidate to take over. However, Suryakumar Yadav has now become the leading contender. This change in preference is due to Gambhir and Agarkar favouring Yadav in informal discussions with BCCI officials.

Gambhir stressed the importance of having a captain whose workload isn't an issue, advocating for Yadav, a white-ball specialist and top-ranked batter. Although Pandya served as vice-captain during the World Cup, his history of injuries remains a significant worry.

“Although Gambhir did not directly pitch for Surya in the call, he made it amply clear that he would want to work with a captain whose workload does not become a stumbling block. Agarkar was clear with his views,” a BCCI official said.

The primary concern with 30-year-old Hardik is his injury-prone history. He was out for almost six months after suffering an ankle injury early in the ODI World Cup last year.

After their meeting on Tuesday, Gambhir and Agarkar informed Hardik about the latest developments. Surya and Gambhir share a long history; Gambhir discovered Surya at KKR and assigned him the finisher's role in a star-studded lineup. 

However, Surya has limited experience as a captain, having led India in only seven T20Is and never in the IPL.

Additionally, the 360-degree batter will turn 35 in a couple of months. Therefore, even if he becomes captain, there may be no commitment to him being a long-term appointment.