After leading India to the T20 World Cup in June 2024, Rohit Sharma’s form as a batter and captain has taken a massive hit. And following that, the team management decided to ‘rest’ him for the ongoing Sydney Test against Australia.
The Indian Test team’s vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, walked out for the toss earlier today in Sydney. Since Sharma has sat out of this crucial Test due to his poor form, questions are also arising over his future in ODI cricket.
He is the captain of the ODI team as well, and India will be playing a 50-over series against England at home before heading for the Champions Trophy 2025 in February. But before that, a BCCI source has dropped a bomb over Sharma’s potential replacement in the team.
BCCI Looking for a New ODI Captain, Hardik Frontrunner
As per a report by MyKhel, the BCCI has started to find a suitable player to lead India in ODI cricket after Sharma opted out of the Sydney Test. It is learnt that if Sharma continues to underperform as ODI skipper, then he may be asked to leave the captaincy.
As of now, the board is considering Hardik Pandya’s name for the leadership role. The all-rounder has led the team in three ODIs in 2023, winning two of them.
Plus, Pandya has also captained in the Indian Premier League (IPL), taking Gujarat Titans to the trophy in 2022 before returning to Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2024 as their new skipper. Incidentally, Pandya replaced Sharma as MI’s captain.
So BCCI is more or less inclined towards the Baroda player considering his overall experience. The BCCI source also said to MyKhel: “Hardik has the knack for leading in high-pressure situations, and his experience as an all-rounder and leader makes him an ideal choice for an ICC tournament like the Champions Trophy.”
Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav Not Considered
After Sharma retired from T20I cricket, the BCCI appointed Suryakumar Yadav as India’s full-time T20I captain. But, interestingly, the aggressive batter hasn’t been considered for the ODI captaincy stint at all.
The source cited Surya’s poor performance in the 50-over format as the main reason behind the board not considering his name for the job. Another player who has been close to the leadership group, Shubman Gill, has also been overlooked for the role.
The source added: “Gill needs more grooming to mature into a leader, and SKY’s ODI performances haven’t been convincing enough. Hardik remains the most balanced option to lead India in ODIs if Rohit is unavailable.”
Now, it will be interesting to see how all things pan out over the next few days as India gear up for the Champions Trophy 2025.
