The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off last month, and the annual festival of cricket has served up some fantastic cricketing action so far. As usual, there have been some tight finishes, as well as excellent individual performances.
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The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have all put in superb performances for their sides so far, in a tournament with added significance this year as the T20 World Cup is set to take place immediately after, in June.
As far as selection for the Indian squad is concerned, there are still a few key questions to be answered, but one thing is for sure; Rohit Sharma has been confirmed to lead the Men in Blue as they look to win their first ICC trophy in 11 years.
Who should be groomed as India's next T20 captain?
However, with Rohit set to turn 37 years old next week, it is likely that the T20 World Cup will be his last major tournament in charge of India. Looking towards the future, who are the younger options India can look to introduce into the setup as potential leaders?
The Indian captains in IPL 2024 are as follows; Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan and Sanju Samson. As long-term T20I captains, Gaikwad and Iyer are unlikely as they are not regulars in the format. Dhawan is also not an option as his international career is more or less complete.
Of the remaining players, Pandya seems the most likely to be chosen as an Indian captain, given he plays only white-ball cricket and is pretty much certain to play when fit, as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
The next strongest case perhaps belongs to Shubman Gill, who is already an all-format regular at the age of 24, and could also captain India in all three formats of the game. However, his captaincy experience remains limited at this point.
In terms of experience, Sanju Samson is perhaps the best-suited to being groomed as a future captain thanks to his stints leading both Kerala and Rajasthan Royals. However, his place in the Indian sqaud is far from certain. Pant and KL Rahul are also in awkward positions as they are not guaranteed starters in the T20I setup.
Considering all this, India's best option would likely be to look at Gill as a long-term captaincy option. In the short-term Pandya could take over, while Samson is also a good option provided he cements a spot in the side.
| Name | Matches | Wins | Losses | Tie/NR | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 55 | 35 | 19 | 1/0 | 63.6% |
| Sanju Samson | 80 | 45 | 35 | 0/0 | 56.3% |
| Shubman Gill | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0/0 | 50.0% |
| KL Rahul | 58 | 29 | 27 | 2/0 | 50.0% |
| Rishabh Pant | 43 | 21 | 20 | 1/1 | 48.8% |
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