Hardik Pandya to Lead India in T20I Series Against Sri Lanka

New Delhi: Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to captain India in the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka, beginning July 27. The T20Is will take place from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODI series from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.

Pandya, who served as India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma, is confirmed to be fit and available for the T20I series. A senior BCCI source stated, “Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side.”

Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 Internationals following India’s T20 World Cup victory last month, will not be part of the series. Pandya, one of the heroes of the World Cup triumph, will, however, take a break during the ODI series in August due to personal reasons. The official clarified, “The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn’t have any fitness issues as is being floated in the media.”

The squad for the series is expected to be announced in the next few days. While there is no clarity yet on Pandya’s deputy, Shubman Gill, who recently led India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe, and Suryakumar Yadav, who captained the side during the T20Is against South Africa last year, are the top contenders for the role.