Hardik Pandya as captain: Is Hardik Pandya the new captain of India T20I squad?

A lion-hearted effort from the duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel, followed by a burst off the bat of Shivam Mavi as well, could not prevent Hardik Pandya from losing his maiden T20I as Indian team skipper on Thursday.

En route the stiff target of 207 runs, India had lost their four batters within the Powerplay itself to find their backs against the wall quite early in the chase.

However, quick fire half-centuries off the bat of Yadav and Patel, and later a cameo from Mavi brought them right back into the contest. But, the skyrocketing required run-rate was enough for the middle-order to run out of gas, as they fell short by 16 runs of the target.

The loss not only drew level the three-match series 1-1, but also handed Pandya his first loss as Indian men’s team captain in the shortest format.

Hardik Pandya as captain

Loss against the Lankans during the second T20I in Pune marked Pandya’s first loss in 7 T20Is as team India captain.

The 29-year-old made his T20I captaincy debut in June last year, during a two-match away series against Ireland. While he had led the side to victories in both these matches, he also achieved a new record by becoming the first Indian men’s team captain to pick up a wicket in T20Is.

Is Hardik Pandya the new captain of India T20I squad?

Hardik Pandya is India’s stand-in captain in the ongoing home T20I series against Sri Lanka, in the absence of the team’s all-format skipper Rohit Sharma who is presently unavailable due to a thumb injury.

Despite multiple reports suggesting Pandya’s appointment as India’s full-time T20I skipper with the 2024 T20 World Cup in sight, there has been no intimation on BCCI’s part pertaining any planning to implement the same.

Until the 2023 ODI World Cup this year, Rohit Sharma is likely to stay as team India’s official captain across the three formats.