3 players who can succeed Rohit Sharma as India's T20I captain ft. Hardik Pandya

India won their second T20 World Cup title as they beat South Africa in an epic final clash at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Saturday, June 29, 2024.

While Rohit had been a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning side, this was his first ICC title as the captain of the team. Having led the side in three successive ICC finals, he finally managed to break the shackles and the ICC trophy drought for the country as well.

This victory proved to be a perfect ending for Rohit Sharma, who after Virat Kohli, announced his retirement from T20 Internationals as well. Finishing on a high and leaving a glorious legacy behind, the talk in Indian cricket, after this triumph sinks in, would be what comes next.

With both Virat and Rohit bidding goodbye to the format (international), the hunt for India's next T20I captain begins with another T20 World Cup just two years away.

With plenty of options to choose from, this seems to be a good headache to have for the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). KL Rahul was once among the names to take over the reigns after Virat and Rohit. However, he has been out of action for a while now and seems unlikely to be named the skipper at the moment.

Shreyas Iyer, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title, could be another choice. With Gautam Gambhir as the KRR mentor and now in line to be India's next head coach, the Shreyas-Gautam duo at the international front sounds interesting too.

Sanju Samson, with his experience of leading the Rajasthan Royals, is another name that pops up, along with Jasprit Bumrah, who also won the Player of the Tournament in the Men's T20 World Cup 2024, could be suited for captaincy as well.

However, with several options in the mix, let us take a look at the three players who are most likely to take over as India's next T20I skipper.

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3 players who can succeed Rohit Sharma as India's T20I captain

#3 Shubman Gill

India Net Session

A prolific and classy opener who is regarded as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Shubman Gill could be among the top contenders to replace Rohit Sharma as India's T20I captain.

The Men in Blue are set to tour Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series in the first week of July, where Shubman Gill has been announced as the captain as well. Gill also took over as the captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Hardik Pandya was traded to the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Gill had a good start to his captaincy stint. However, it did not go according to plan as GT finished eighth on the points table eventually. His IPL captaincy experience, however, will certainly help him to lead the side on the international stage as well.

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#2 Rishabh Pant

India v Pakistan - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024

Attacking wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is one of the more obvious choices to lead India in T20Is after Rohit Sharma stepping down. Pant took over as captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC) midway through the 2021 season.

Delhi emerged as the table toppers before losing both games in the qualifiers. He has captained the side in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as well. Moreover, Pant has also previously led India in T20Is, when he was appointed skipper for the series against South Africa in 2022 after KL Rahul was ruled out due to injury.

He became the second-youngest captain to lead India in T20Is at the age of 24. The five-match series was tied 2-2 with the final game being washed out. With a good amount of captaincy experience under his belt, Pant could be a bright prospect as the leader of the national side in the T20 format.

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#1 Hardik Pandya

South Africa v India: Final - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024

Dynamic and hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya is probably the frontrunner at present to lead India in this format.

After a disappointing IPL 2024 campaign as skipper of the Mumbai Indians, Pandya staged a phenomenal comeback in the T20 World Cup 2024, playing a vital role with his all-round abilities. He scored 144 and picked up 11 wickets, which included a crucial spell of 3/20 in the final against South Africa.

Hardik has proven himself as a captain, having led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in their very first season in 2022. He led them to the final of the 2023 edition as well, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by a close margin in the end.

Given his character and skillset on the field, Hardik is arguably the best choice to take over the captaincy from Rohit with another World Cup just two years away.