After getting appointed as India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir will have his first meeting with the selection committee ahead of the Sri Lanka tour later this week. After announcing retirement from the shortest format, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are likely to be rested from the 3-match ODI series given a hectic Test calendar ahead. In their absence, the likes of Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul would step into the captain’s shoes in T20Is and ODIs, respectively.
According to Sports Tak, Pandya is expected to be T20I captain whereas KL Rahul will lead the team in ODIs. If Pandya makes himself unavailable for the series then Suryakumar Yadav will don the captain’s hat.
“It is expected that in the absence of Rohit, Hardik and KL are the options to be given the responsibility of captain. Both have captained the team earlier,” the report quoted a source as saying.
“If Hardik is not available for the T20Is, you might see Suryakumar Yadav as captain in T20Is and Rahul in ODIs. But for now, it seems that Hardik and KL will lead the team,” the source added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gambhir was named head coach of Team India by the BCCI, which hoped that he would bring “tenacity and leadership” to the position that was held with ‘remarkable success’ by Rahul Dravid until recently.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said he expects Gambhir, who played key roles in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup triumphs, to inspire and lead the team to new heights.
“His vision for the future of Indian cricket aligns perfectly with our goals, and we are excited about the journey ahead,” he added.
As a player, Gambhir also led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. He then proved his coaching credentials as the mentor of the KKR team that won the IPL title earlier this year. The former left-hander became a top pick to replace Dravid after VVS Laxman, the director of cricket at the Bengaluru-based National Cricket Academy, expressed his unwillingness to take up top post.
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