As Gautam Gambhir begins his new role as the head coach of the Indian team, the discussion on the next T20I captain is heating up.

Notably, skipper Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from international cricket’s shortest format after the T20 World Cup triumph last month.

Young opener Shubman Gill led India’s second-string team during the recently concluded T20I tour of Zimbabwe. However, the Men in Blue will play with a full-strength squad in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Middle-order star Suryakumar Yadav and leading all-rounder Hardik Pandya are the two prominent candidates for the leadership role.

However, recent reports indicate that Suryakumar might be preferred over Hardik due to latter’s inconsistent fitness record as the team management wants a stable long-term option.

According to TOI, sources have revealed that both Gambhir and T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit favour Suryakumar for the captaincy role.

It is understood that Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have already communicated this decision to Hardik.

The report further claimed that Suryakumar will not only captain India in the T20I series against Sri Lanka but will remain the leader of the pack till the T20 World Cup 2026.

Meanwhile, the selectors have another big decision to make regarding India's ODI captain for the Sri Lanka tour. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma is expected to skip the series and KL Rahul is considered as the front-runner for the captaincy.

India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs on the tour of Sri Lanka, starting on July 27. While Pallekele will host all the T20I matches, the ODI series will be held in Colombo.

(With TOI Inputs)