NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed his belief that Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the Indian cricket team even if Hardik Pandya is in the playing 11 for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America.
The Indian selection committee recently announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan, and Chopra shared his thoughts on the captaincy dynamics in a video on his YouTube channel.
While Mumbai Indians elected Hardik Pandya as their captain for the IPL 2024, Chopra believes that Rohit Sharma should lead the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup. “Rohit Sharma is now the captain and I feel he will be the captain in the World Cup as well. I feel this was a landmark selection, because if Rohit remains captain, he will play the World Cup. If he plays the World Cup, then he will be the captain,” said Chopra.
Chopra dismissed the possibility of Hardik Pandya becoming the captain upon his return to the team, emphasizing that the chances of Rohit not being the captain if he is in the team are very slim.
“Don’t think that Hardik will become captain once he is back. I can almost give it in writing. I can’t guarantee anything but the chances are very less that Rohit Sharma will be there and won’t be the captain,” stated Chopra.
The Indian selection committee recently announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan, and Chopra shared his thoughts on the captaincy dynamics in a video on his YouTube channel.
While Mumbai Indians elected Hardik Pandya as their captain for the IPL 2024, Chopra believes that Rohit Sharma should lead the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup. “Rohit Sharma is now the captain and I feel he will be the captain in the World Cup as well. I feel this was a landmark selection, because if Rohit remains captain, he will play the World Cup. If he plays the World Cup, then he will be the captain,” said Chopra.
Chopra dismissed the possibility of Hardik Pandya becoming the captain upon his return to the team, emphasizing that the chances of Rohit not being the captain if he is in the team are very slim.
“Don’t think that Hardik will become captain once he is back. I can almost give it in writing. I can’t guarantee anything but the chances are very less that Rohit Sharma will be there and won’t be the captain,” stated Chopra.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in June 2024, and Chopra’s prediction adds an interesting perspective to the captaincy debate within the Indian cricket team.
India squad for Afghanistan T20I series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Wisden picks 2023 men’s ODI team of the year, includes 7 Indians in the XI
(With inputs from ANI)