It is now apparent that Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, the designated captaincy candidates for the Twenty20 format, will not be available for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan starting next week. Their absence has presented a quandary for Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee.
The dilemma they face revolves around choosing between the tried and tested candidate, Rohit Sharma, or taking a leap of faith with someone like Shubman Gill. Other viable options before the selectors include Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer but that is not the core issue before the selectors at this juncture.
The issue, Cricbuzz understands, is that the selectors are still undecided on whether to focus on the upcoming five months leading to the Twenty20 World Cup or to look toward the future and groom a younger player. The decision will be made in the next few hours during the scheduled selection committee meeting later today.
Insiders reveal that it won't be an easy call. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were asked about their views about playing T20Is and they have reportedly made themselves available for the format, ready to mark their return after more than a year. Their last T20I was on November 10, 2022, during the T20 World Cup semifinals against England in Australia.
While the mood within the selection committee leans towards planning for the future and providing exposure to youngsters, the selectors are equally sensitive to Rohit's exceptional leadership and batting prowess in recent times. When Rohit stakes a claim, it is not easy to overlook.
At this juncture, Agarkar is in Cape Town along with colleagues Shiv Sundar Das and Salil Ankola. They will be linking up with Subrata Banerjee and S Sharath in India when the call will be taken. The role of Rahul Dravid cannot be overstated at this point. The head coach will have an important role in the decision making.
Pandya, yet to fully recover from the injury that kept him out of the majority of World Cup games last year, released a video of his fitness regimen. He is expected to be fit for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which he will be leading the Mumbai Indians team. Surya suffered an ankle injury and will be out of action for at least a month.