Rohit Sharma is all set to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and according to the report, he will also lead the team.
Rohit Sharma is all set to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and will also lead the side as per a Hindustan Times report. It was earlier speculated that the trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the entire tour of Sri Lanka and KL Rahul could be the ODI captain for the upcoming series. However, the report claims that Rohit will return to action while Virat and Bumrah will enjoy an extended break after playing continuous cricket. India will play only six ODIs before the 2025 Champions Trophy and according to the report, that was a big reason for Rohit’s inclusion. This series is also Gautam Gambhir’s first stint as the head coach of Team India.
Meanwhile, the T20I captaincy remains a hot topic with Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav both emerging as strong contenders. According to the media, however, SKY has an edge in the race as the team management is worried about Hardik’s fitness challenge.
Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as a dark horse to captain India in T20 till the 2026 World Cup and could easily overtake Hardik Pandya, whose promotion from vice-captain has been seen as a natural progression so far.
Pandya played the shortest format matches against Sri Lanka this month but it has emerged that Suryakumar, who captained India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, is the first choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit. Agarkar.
It is learned that both Gambhir and Agarkar spoke to Pandya about this change of plan earlier this evening and explained to him that a long-term option is being finalized to ensure stability.
The T20 leadership role was vacant after Rohit Sharma bid farewell to his international career in the shortest format following India’s World Cup victory in the Caribbean last month.
Pandya, one of the heroes of that victory, is taking a break from the three-match ODI series against the island nation for “personal reasons”. The T20Is against Sri Lanka will be played at 27-30. in Pallekele in July, followed by ODIs in Colombo from 2-7 August.
The squad for the series is expected to be announced in the next couple of days.
“Hardik Pandya was India’s T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is fully fit and available for the three-match T20I series and had to lead, but there is a very strong feeling that SKY is not just a potential leader. For the Sri Lankans series, but the 2026 WC to the games,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
