Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul - who should lead India for ODI series against Sri Lanka?

Senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul are among the leading candidates to captain India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. As per a report in news agency PTI, full-time captain Rohit Sharma, along with fellow seniors Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, are set to be rested for the tour of Sri Lanka, featuring three T20Is and three ODIs.

The report added that Kohli and Rohit have asked for a break after playing non-stop cricket for the past many months, a phase during which they featured in the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup.

"Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50 over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

On that note, let's analyze who between Pandya and Rahul would be a better choice to lead India in the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka.

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Why Hardik Pandya could get the leadership nod ahead of KL Rahul

If we go by experience, Rahul has the upper hand. But a recency bias of sorts is likely to give the upper hand to Pandya. The former hasn't played a match for India since December 2023, when India played three ODIs in South Africa. Incidentally, he was the captain of the team that won the series 2-1.

On the other hand, Pandya has not played a one-dayer for India since October 2023, when he was ruled out midway through the World Cup after picking an ankle injury. However, he was recently part of the triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup squad. Pandya demonstrated great all-round form, impressing with both bat and ball.

Although it was in a different format, the all-rounder would be high on confidence after his stellar show in the recently concluded ICC event. Pandya had gone through a lot in IPL 2024, with hardly anything going right for him - right from captaincy to individual performances. The crowd behavior was something unacceptable, but the cricketer took it all in his stride.

The way he fought back in the T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and United States was astonishing, to say the least. Pandya faced various challenges during the tournament, including bowling the last over in the final, and came up trumps on most occasions. The Sri Lanka series would be a great opportunity for the selectors and management to try out Pandya as a leader in ODIs.

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Rahul hasn't made much of an impression as captain in international cricket

KL Rahul (left) and Hardik Pandya (Image Credit: Getty Images)

Shifting focus to Rahul, he has had a few opportunities to lead India in international cricket but has failed to make much of an impact. The 32-year-old has captained Team India in 12 ODIs, out of which the Men in Blue have won eight and lost four.

Three of the triumphs under Rahul's captaincy, however, have come against Zimbabwe and one against Bangladesh. To his credit, of the other four, two have come against Australia at home and two against South Africa in an away series. The right-handed batter was also in charge when the Men in Blue suffered a 3-0 whitewash against the Proteas in South Africa in January 2022.

Taking a glance at his performance while leading the team in one-dayers, that hasn't been very impressive either. In 12 matches, he has scored 302 runs at a pedestrian average of 33.55, with a best of 58*, well below his overall average of 50.35 from 75 matches.

Looking beyond the numbers as well, Rahul has seemed rather aloof at times as a captain. Although he has only led India in a handful of matches, this is a criticism that has been made about his leadership in the IPL as well.

Rahul has a great record in the one-day format as a batter. Having been away from international cricket for a while, he should be given the freedom to find his rhythm back in ODI cricket during the Sri Lanka series. Pandya may not have had a memorable stint as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. But as he showed in the T20 World Cup, international cricket is a different cup of tea.