Only a few weeks ago, India was crowned the World T20I champion. Now it is a team in transition.
The T20I retirements of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, coupled with the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach after the high of lifting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy in Barbados, has forced major changes.
Starting over
There is a new T20I captain in Suryakumar Yadav, a new vice-captain in Shubman Gill, and a new head coach in Gautam Gambhir. The next T20 World Cup is less than two years away, and India is starting from scratch.
Suryakumar’s appointment came as a surprise, as Hardik Pandya — Rohit’s deputy at the World Cup — was expected to take charge. Hardik had a fantastic run with both bat and ball in the USA and West Indies, which strengthened his case for leadership.
Still pivotal: Hardik has slipped down the leadership ranks, but his all-round ability will continue to add balance to the T20I set-up. | Photo credit: Getty Images
It should have been the great climax of Hardik’s redemption story — from being booed during IPL 2024, to winning the World Cup and becoming the India captain. But instead, Hardik has fallen down the leadership pole, stripped of the vice-captaincy post. Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar explained that Hardik’s recurrent injury troubles were to be blamed. “The biggest thing is the captain should be on the park more often than not. I mean, that’s a prerequisite,” Agarkar remarked.
While Hardik’s roller-coaster ride continues, Suryakumar has been pushed into the hot seat. Suryakumar’s credentials with the bat are beyond doubt, but as captain, he is fairly untested. The Mumbaikar led India in a five-match T20I series against Australia in November-December last year, when Hardik was out with an injury. India won the series 4-1, and Suryakumar retained leadership duties in a three-match South Africa T20I leg that followed (series tied 1-1).
Generally an all-out attacking stroke-maker, Suryakumar added nuance to his game in the World Cup when he curbed his instincts to adjust to the tough New York pitch. This ability to adapt to different situations should hold him in good stead as a leader. At 33, Suryakumar is a fairly experienced campaigner, even if the bulk of his career was spent navigating through the domestic circuit.
With Rohit retained as the ODI and Test captain, the Indian team has gone back to the split-captaincy model. If history is anything to go by, this is not a preferred permanent solution. A few months after Kohli announced that he would step down from T20I captaincy at the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup, he was replaced by Rohit as ODI captain. Kohli soon gave up Test leadership as well.
All-format captaincy situation
Suryakumar’s progression may be restricted to the white-ball formats, given that he has appeared in just one Test match. The red-ball captaincy could be a step too far.
And thus the next all-format captaincy could go to Gill. It has been an incredible couple of months for the batter, who flew back to India at the end of the group stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Batting coach Vikram Rathour dismissed suggestions that Gill was sent home for disciplinary issues, stating that the Punjab cricketer, a reserve player, was simply superfluous to the team’s needs.
Just when it seemed that Gill had fallen out of favour, he has been given a new lease on life. Immediately after the World Cup, Gill led a young side in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, which went 4-1 in India’s favour.
“Shubman is the guy we feel is a three-format player, and he has shown quality over the last year or so,” Agarkar said.
At 24, Gill has time to develop and learn from the best. “He can learn from a couple of the senior guys — Suryakumar or Rohit. He has shown some decent leadership qualities. We want to try and get him the experience,” Agarkar said.
Where does this rejig leave Hardik? The all-rounder, so crucial to the team balance, will continue to play an important part in the T20I and ODI set-up.
Power couple: The aggressive Yashasvi Jaiswal and the classy Shubman Gill look set to form India’s new opening partnership in T20Is. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will replace Rohit and Kohli at the top of the order in the 20-over format. Like Gill, Jaiswal did not get a game in the World Cup, but the southpaw did stay with the squad until the end of the tournament.
Jaiswal brings a fresh aggressive approach, in contrast to Kohli’s more sedate style. Jaiswal, unafraid to go for the big shots in the Powerplay, is a better fit for modern-day T20 cricket. An unbeaten 53-ball 93 against Zimbabwe earlier this month was a reminder of the match-winning ability the 22-year-old brings to the table.
In Axar Patel, the side already has someone with Jadeja’s left-handed multidimensional profile. Axar, in fact, adds greater value given that he is a capable batter when promoted up the order. Jadeja’s exit opens the door for Rinku Singh, who could come in as a finisher.
Bowling-unit health
The bowling unit, India’s greatest strength, does not require any tinkering. Jasprit Bumrah is the world’s best bowler across formats, and Arshdeep Singh has risen as an able ally. Mohammed Siraj is an efficient third seamer, while Mohammed Shami is working his way back from injury. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav shines as the strike-bowler.
India’s immediate focus turns to the 2025 ODI ICC Champions Trophy, which commences in seven months’ time. For now, India will rely on old heroes Rohit and Kohli to come good in the 50-over format. Gambhir took it one step further, saying that the duo has enough in the tank to feature in the 2027 Cricket World Cup scheduled for October-November that year. This could be mere lip service, given that Rohit would have turned 40 and Kohli would be weeks from his 39th birthday when the big event comes around.
The tour to Sri Lanka, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is, will give the first glimpse of what lies ahead for the national team. Will Gambhir’s straight-talking nature be accepted in the dressing room? Will Suryakumar put his stamp on captaincy? Is Gill one for the future?
Squad depth, horses for courses, and backing players to the hilt — this is the winning template established by Rohit and Dravid. It is a hard act to follow for Gambhir and company. The short turnaround time to the next T20 World Cup leaves little room for slips and missteps.
