As the Men in Blue get ready for the visit, the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is probably going to ask Rohit Sharma to captain the team in the forthcoming Twenty20 International series against South Africa. Rohit will probably be brought back into the T20I lineup by the Indian side, which is scheduled to play three T20Is during the visit. Rohit hasn’t participated in the shortest format since November 2022. But Rohit is still the only player the Ajit Agarkar-led committee could approach since Hardik Pandya is unavailable and other players don’t have the leadership skills to guide the team.
Indeed, the BCCI believes that if Rohit accepts to lead in T20Is, he will lead in the T20 World Cup. However, there is still uncertainty over what will happen when Hardik returns. Surya would continue to skipper the T20I team in South Africa if Rohit doesn’t agree, a BCCI source with knowledge of the issue informed PTI under the condition of anonymity.
On Thursday, the selection committee will reveal the team that will travel to South Africa, with several players crossing their fingers. In addition to Rohit, Virat Kohli has also avoided the T20I setup; he played his last match in the agonising loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal.
Suryakumar Yadav is the only player with the potential to be the team captain because Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the T20I series is still uncertain.
As things stand, the board has also extended coach Rahul Dravid’s contract and is searching for short-term stability. Despite some rumors suggesting he is not interested in leading in the shortest format, Rohit’s performance leading the T20I team may lead to consideration for captaining the 2024 T20 World Cup team. But given the hierarchy, Rohit remains India’s best bet instead of giving the keys to Suryakumar Yadav or up-and-coming players like Shreyas Iyer or Shubman Gill.
Ajinkya Rahane is expected to be the main topic of discussion, therefore the committee will probably concentrate on the Test side as well. Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, and Iyer are the first players back for the team, therefore his inclusion may depend on their availability. He is still lower on the ladder. Given that the England trip is quickly approaching and Cheteshwar Pujara is unlikely to play for the national team anytime soon, this may also mean Pujara would have to sit out of the squad.
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