There was a considerable buzz around India captain Rohit Sharma’s future in the longer format, especially after he declined to turn up for the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney. Bumrah was apparently appointed as the India stand-in skipper for the final match of the five-match series. Earlier, the first Test was played under Bumrah’s captaincy in Perth, where India triumphed by 10 wickets. Rohit scored only 31 runs in five innings this series. With no clear picture on his future in Test cricket, fresh reports have claimed that he will not lead India in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
As per sources, the team management is evaluating Hardik Pandya for India’s captaincy in the Champions Trophy set to begin on February 19.
“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,” a source told MyKhel.
Most probably, because Rohit retired from the T20Is after India’s achievements in June 2024 World Cup victory, this type of management action might be undertaken to relieve him of the burden.
According to the report, it also mentioned that “Hardik is the strongest contender for captaincy in the next ICC event, something T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav could surpass, as SKY had not been sufficient enough in ODIs,” and batter Shubman Gill needed to prove some maturity.
“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,” the source added.
Champions trophy 2025 is set to Start from February 19 2025 with pakistan set to take on Kiwis followed by Team India taking on the Bangla Tigers on the following day in Dubai. The tournament is set to be played in the Hybrid Model.
