No harm in identifying a new T20 Captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it: Ravi Shastri

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels that Hardik Pandya could succeed Rohit Sharma as captain in T20Is and noted that there isn’t any harm in trying a new leader. India faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022 and since then, the debate has been going around India’s leadership considering the workload in the next two years.  

World Champions England have already opted for separate captains in limited overs format and the longer format while a lot of teams are trying to do the same now. As far as India is concerned, currently, Rohit Sharma is the all-format captain however, he will be 37 by the next T20 World Cup in 2024 which might not be ideal.  

Hardik Pandya has been named as the captain for India in the upcoming New Zealand T20Is with the seniors rested for the series. The all-rounder might well be the next captain given his impressive start in IPL 2022 as a leader of the Gujarat Titans.

One player to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy: Ravi Shastri 

Shastri mentioned that trying a new leader in T20s is not going to harm the side and highlighted the packed schedule which makes it difficult for one player to captain all three formats. He further backed Hardik Pandya to do the job if the latter is handed the responsibility in T20 format on a long-time basis. 

"I think for T20 cricket, there's no harm in having a new captain, because the volume of cricket is such that for one player to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy," Shastri said in a virtual press conference organised by Prime Video. 

"Rohit is already leading in one-days and test matches. There's no harm in identifying a new T20 Captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it," he added.