BCCI has made it clear that an entirely different squad will be taking on Sri Lanka for a 3-match ODI and T20I series. This means a lot of potential India players will be on board to take the Lankans in their den. India is brimming with talent and there is a lot of depth to choose from. The absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opens up a leadership spot. Indian cricket fans are waiting with bated breath to see who will be the possible captain in this series. This might lay down a marker for the future too.
StumpsandBails looks at 3 possible captaincy options for India on their tour to Sri Lanka:
#1 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is the senior-most player in the second squad that will be flying to Sri Lanka. Dhawan has been in a rich vein of form in the past few months. He seems to be enjoying his game a lot more and playing with complete freedom. Dhawan is one of the frontrunners to lead India on this tour. He has the experience of captaining SRH during their earlier years in 2013 and 2014. It will be interesting to see if the selectors choose Dhawan as the captain.
#2 Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is to India what Ben Stokes is to England. He is a multi-utility player. Pandya has been preserved from taking up Test match duties to help India win the T20 World Cup. The Sri Lanka tour will prove to be a valuable dress rehearsal for the likes of Hardik Pandya. He is one of the members of the leadership group in the limited-overs setup. Pandya is a proven match-winner on his day. He can be a great captaincy pick as it will help him explore more about himself on the field.
#1 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey for all the trolling he received for his strike rate in IPL 2021 remains a valuable player. Pandey’s seized whatever opportunities that have come his way during his limited appearances for India. He has emerged as one of the strong contenders to lead the India side for their tour to Sri Lanka. Pandey is a proven captaincy candidate. He holds the record for winning the most number of matches as a captain in T20Is in a calendar year (16). He achieved this feat leading Karnataka in 2019. Pandey has also led Karnataka to a Vijay Hazare Trophy win and two Syed Mushtaq Ali titles. We won’t be surprised if Pandey is entrusted with captaincy responsibility.
These are surely interesting times for Indian cricket. We can’t wait to watch the Indian team get back in action.
