Team India is currently in a transitional phase across all formats, with senior players fading out and a change in captaincy on the horizon. Rohit Sharma, the incumbent all-format skipper, is already 36 years old, and rumors suggest that he may relinquish his role after the ODI World Cup. This begs the question: who will take over the reins across all formats?
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has given his no-nonsense verdict on one of the strongest contenders in the race: Hardik Pandya. While many may not have considered Hardik a captaincy candidate, his impressive performance as captain for the Gujarat Titans in 2022 led many to believe that he could be the rightful heir to the captaincy.
Hardik's strong return in white-ball cricket as an all-rounder, coupled with his impressive captaincy skills in both the IPL and India games, has only strengthened this belief. As the World Cup draws closer, Hardik has emerged as the sole player to take over the reins from Rohit, at least in white-ball cricket.
However, Hardik is yet to make a Test appearance since 2018, and while many veterans have been wishing for his return to red-ball cricket, he has not spoken a word on the matter. When asked whether Hardik could become the Test captain as well, Shastri was quick to respond, explaining that Hardik's body may not allow him to play the longer format. Nevertheless, Shastri put his complete backing behind Hardik for white-ball captaincy.
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“His body cannot cope with Test cricket. Let's be very clear about that. After the World Cup, if his body is fit enough, he should take over captaincy in white-ball cricket,” he said.
The experienced Indian cricketer believes that it is now imperative for India to gradually replace their senior players with the younger generation, who are more than capable of competing at the international level.
"There are seniors ready to be phased out and there are youngsters ready. No question about it when it comes to T20 cricket. Lesser in 50-over cricket and even fewer in Tests," he said.
"Because of the IPL, you see an abundance of high-quality, young, white-ball players. But, one should not get carried away by that and think they should be automatic red-ball choices. No, I would rather see the red-ball record. I would sit with the selectors and find out more about who the [red-ball performances] were against, in what conditions, what are their strengths, what is the temperament of the bloke like."
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