Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL
India’s 10-wicket defeat against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia has raised many questions regarding the Men in Blue in the shortest format. After the loss, many reports regarding a possible transition where many senior players may be eased out of the T20 team ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup surfaced.
In these reports, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s name has been thrown around as a potential new captain for the Indian team. Supporting these reports, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Pandya as the captain of the Men in Blue’s next generation.
While talking to India Today, Singh expressed that there is no better option than Pandya as the leader of the Indian team. “For captaincy, Hardik Pandya is my choice. There is no better choice. He is the best player in the team and you need more people like him in the team,” said the former India spinner.
Further talking about the Indian team, Bhaji believes that the BCCI should include a recently retired T20 player in the coaching staff as an expert in the shortest format. “It’s not just the captain. If you can bring someone who has just retired from T20 cricket recently, someone who understands the format,” Harbhajan told India Today. “You know, with all due respect to Rahul Dravid, he was my colleague and we played a lot of cricket together, he has a great brain", he further added.
Harbhajan Singh suggested the name of former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra, who won the 2022 Indian Premier League as the coach of the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans. Singh pointed out at his recent success in the shortest format. He said, “But I think if you don’t want to remove Dravid from T20I as a coach then help him with someone who has recently retired.”
"Someone like Ashish Nehra has got a great cricketing brain. Look what he has done there at Gujarat Titans. It will also encourage the young guys with what Ashish will bring into the team. It could also be anyone, who just retired,” he added.