With Rohit returning to the T20I fold after the 2022 T20 World Cup debacle in the recent series against Afghanistan, it’s now all but confirmed from Shah’s words that he’ll be the one leading the team.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday seemingly ended the speculation about India’s captaincy conundrum for the T20 World Cup when he said that Rohit Sharma, not Hardik Pandya, will lead India into the tournament in West Indies.
“In 2023 (final) at Ahmedabad, even though we did not win the World Cup after 10 straight wins, we won hearts. I want to promise you that in 2024 (T20 World Cup) in Barbados (venue for the final), under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, ham Bharat ka jhanda gaadenge (we will hoist the Indian flag),” Shah said at the Niranjan Shah Stadium event in Rajkot.
“Rohit was captaining (in the past in other formats) and he came back for the Afghanistan series, which means we were going to let him continue forward,” Shah added.
VIDEO | Here’s what Asian Cricket Council president and BCCI secretary Jay Shah (@JayShah) said while addressing an event in Rajkot.
“In 2023 (final) at Ahmedabad, even though we did not win the World Cup after 10 straight wins, we won hearts. I want to promise you that in 2024… pic.twitter.com/GcEJjSdiLs
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 14, 2024
“If Hardik was injured in the (2023 ODI) World Cup, who else can we give the captaincy?” asked Shah, indicating if the all-rounder gets injured during the course of the 2024 T20 World Cup, who will replace him as captain.
“In the third T20I against Afghanistan, India were 22/4 and the way he (Rohit Sharma) took the team to 212/4, we can’t question much about him, right?” he said.
“He (Rohit) has the ability, as I said, we won 10 games in the ODI World Cup. We didn’t win the final, but it’s part and parcel of the game. Whoever plays better, wins,” Shah expressed.
India have confirmed their captain for the 2024 #T20WorldCup 🚨https://t.co/z6raYjo0JA
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 14, 2024
With Rohit returning to the T20I fold after the 2022 T20 World Cup debacle in the recent series against Afghanistan, it’s now all but confirmed from Shah’s words that he’ll be the one leading the team.
Pandya had been handling the captaincy duties in the shortest format in Rohit’s absence and had led India in most of the T20I series after the 2022 World Cup.
Pandya is currently undergoing rehab for his ankle injury, suffered during the ODI World Cup last year against Bangladesh and will aim to get fit before the latest edition of the Indian Premier League where he will lead the Mumbai Indians after replacing Rohit as captain for the franchise.
India will play Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA in the group stages of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Source:indianexpress.com