‘Gambhir didn’t pitch for Suryakumar but clearly said he won't work with…': BCCI official on India T20I captaincy

Gautam Gambhir did not directly propose Suryakumar Yadav's name as India's T20I captain but said he would not want to work with a captain with fitness issues.

The passing of the baton in India's T20I set-up has been unexpectedly bumpy. There has been no official word from the BCCI yet on who would succeed Rohit Sharma, now retired from T20Is after ending India's 13-year-long wait for an ICC title with the T20 World Cup triumph. Murmurs are there it is because of a split decision among the board officials, new head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.

Gautam Gambhir did not directly propose Suryakumar Yadav's name as India's T20I captain but made it clear that he would not want to work with a captain with fitness issues.

Hardik Pandya, India's vice-captain in the T20 World Cup, was a clear favourite to take over the reins from Rohit but things changed. Now India's No.1 ranked batter Suryakumar Yadav, and not Hardik Pandya, has emerged as the front-runner as India's T20I captain. That’s if the opinion of the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir prevails at Thursday evening’s selection meet – it was put off by a day – that is to be conducted virtually.

Gambhir, however, was part of an informal call with the BCCI officials and the selection committee on Tuesday evening regarding the roadmap ahead. It is learnt that it was during that call that Gambhir and Agarkar inclined Surya's name as a probable candidate to replace Rohit as the T20I leader.

It, however, should be noted that Gambhir did not take Surya's name directly but he made it clear that he would prefer a captain whose workload management is not a concern. With Surya being a white-ball specialist and the best batter in the format after Rohit and Kohli's retirement, it was a no-brainer.

“Although Gambhir did not directly pitch for Surya in the call, he made it amply clear that he would want to work with a captain whose workload does not become a stumbling block. Agarkar was clear with his views,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.

The selection committee is known to be split with some for Hardik to be appointed skipper by virtue of him being the World Cup-winning vice-captain. It was also reasoned that Hardik’s personal performances were redeeming in the World Cup after he endured a poor IPL.

The big concern around Hardik, 30, remains his injury-ridden record. He was out of action for nearly six months after suffering an ankle injury during early stages of the ODI World Cup last year.

Gambhir and Agarkar spoke to Hardik after the meeting on Tuesday to let him know about the latest developments.

Surya and Gambhir go back a long way. It was Gambhir who unearthed Surya at KKR, giving him the finisher's role in a star-studded line-up. As a captain though Surya has limited experience, having led India in only seven T20Is, and never in IPL. Also, the 360-degree batter will turn 35 in a couple of months. Thus, even if he becomes captain, there may be no commitment of his being a long-term appointment.