Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues will keep him from being appointed India’s captain for the next T20 World Cup. The Indian all-rounder is unlikely to make his return to the Indian side for the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan.
Hardik Pandya injured his ankle against Bangladesh in the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Pune. He was ruled out of the event and would be keen to prove his fitness in the Indian Premier League ahead of the all-important 2024 T20 World Cup in June and it is reported that Rohit Sharma is keen on leading the team in the upcoming marquee event.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Aakash Chopra stated that Hardik Pandya’s fitness concerns may rule him out of contention for the captaincy role in the T20 World Cup, and expects Rohit Sharma to captain India to lead the team in the global event despite the team’s underwhelming performances under his captaincy in 2022 T20 World Cup.
“Hardik will probably not be the captain because there is an issue regarding fitness. You are not playing currently. You twisted your ankle in the World Cup. You are not playing the Afghanistan series and you don’t play Tests in any case, so you will straightaway play the IPL. It’s going against him.”
“I feel Rohit Sharma will be doing T20I captaincy and will also be the captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup. If you had asked this question after the 2022 T20 World Cup, it was almost certain he wouldn’t be the captain, considering the way the team performed as we were scoring 60 runs in the first 10 overs,” Aakash Chopra said.
Hardik Pandya has demonstrated the ability to lead India in the limited possibilities for Men in Blue in white-ball cricket and is seen as a potential replacement for Rohit Sharma as the Indian team’s captain in the future. Indian selectors would look to lay out a plan for the team starting from the Afghanistan series going into the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Will Be There – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra believes that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul’s performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup were outstanding following their failure in the 2022 T20 World Cup and that India’s side for the 2024 T20 World Cup will be almost identical to the one that played in the previous edition.
“However, time elapsed and none of these players played T20Is for India. The ODI World Cup happened, where you played very well and reached the final. Rohit Sharma gave explosive starts, Virat Kohli was the Player of the Tournament, and KL Rahul did an amazing job down the order.”
“Suddenly you say that everyone is doing well. So I feel, giving weightage to the recent form, it will be an almost identical team. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be there and I won’t be surprised if KL Rahul is also there.” Aakash Chopra added
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli were not included in India’s T20 Plan following the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup, as team management preferred younger players in the shorter format of the game. The Indian veterans have been absent from the format since last year’s T20 World Cup but they’re likely to make it into the team for the three T20 series against Afghanistan.
