Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad are reportedly being seen as captaincy options for the Indian team in the upcoming five-T20I series against Australia, in probable absence of Hardik Pandya.
The five-match T20I series will begin on November 23, post the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Regular captain Hardik Pandya injured his ankle in the match against Bangladesh and since then has been rehabbing. With reports of him needing more time to recover 100% from the ankle ligament tear, the team for the home T20I series against Australia will be announced only after India's World Cup semifinal.
As per the report, the BCCI selection panel is realistically looking at Hardik Pandya returning for the tour of South Africa where the T20I series will begin on December 10 in Durban.
"There is some time before Hardik can be declared fit and available for selection. It would be more practical for him to try and complete his rehabilitation with a possible 'RTP' (Return To Play) during the SA series. It will certainly be the NCA Sports Science team's call," a senior BCCI told PTI.
This means either Suryakumar Yadav, the designated vice-captain of the T20I side, or Asian Games gold-winning skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will be leading the side.
Though Suryakumar Yadav is playing in the ongoing CWC 2023, unlike seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, and the pace unit, which needs to be fresh for the Test series in South Africa, the Mumbaikar is looked at as a white ball specialist only.
It is an accepted norm that white-ball Indian specialists (especially batters) can play 25-30 games per year across two white-ball formats apart from IPL, fitness permitting. Hence, if Surya himself doesn't ask for rest, he is the favorite to lead the side. If not, Ruturaj is the next best choice.
The report also stated that the core of the Indian team for the Australia series and next year’s T20 World Cup will be formed from the players who played in Ireland and the Asian Games.
"Obviously, during any big event, someone like Jasprit Bumrah will be pressed into the action as he would be nicely warmed up with sufficient game time post the Indian Premier League. Ditto for a Mohammed Siraj," the official said.
The likes of Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar are likely to be picked for the series. Also, the series might see the return of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
If Akshar Patel attains full fitness by the time the Australia series happens, he’ll also be in contention as Ravindra Jadeja is expected to be rested before the South Africa tour.
The report further talked about the chances of performers of the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being considered for the Australia T20Is.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked 16 wickets for UP and his swing was back. But with an average speed of 128-130 kph, it remains to be seen whether BCCI selectors deem him fit to play international cricket.
Abhishek Sharma of Punjab scored all of his 485 runs at the opening position in the tournament. However, India is spoiled for choices at the top with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Shubman Gill being possible choices.
As for Riyan Parag, who scored 7 successive half-centuries in the SMAT 2023, he has competition in the middle order from proven IPL performers like Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh. Even his off-spin bowling pales in comparison to someone like Washington Sundar.
(PTI inputs)
