Hardik Pandya to Captain India in T20Is, KL Rahul or Shubman Gill Likely for ODIs

Hardik Pandya has been appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka, commencing on July 27. However, Pandya will not participate in the subsequent ODI series in August due to personal reasons.

According to sources, Pandya has already informed regular skipper Rohit Sharma of his decision. Sharma is also taking a break from the series. An official confirmed Pandya's decision, emphasizing that his absence from the ODIs is solely due to personal reasons and not related to any fitness issues.

With Pandya unavailable for the ODIs, the leadership role could be assigned to either KL Rahul or Shubman Gill. Rahul previously led India in the ODI series in South Africa, while Gill recently captained the team to a 4-1 series victory over Zimbabwe.

A senior BCCI source stated, "Hardik Pandya was India's T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side."

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 Internationals after the World Cup. The T20Is against Sri Lanka will be played from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, while the ODIs are scheduled from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.

The squad for the series is expected to be announced shortly. This series marks the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era in Indian cricket, with the new head coach's input expected to influence the team's leadership and composition.

Tags: #HardikPandya, #IndiaCricket, #T20Is, #ODIs, #SriLanka