IND vs SL 2022-23: Hardik Pandya likely to lead amid Rohit Sharma thumb injury uncertainty

IND vs SL 2022-23: India will host Sri Lanka for the limited-overs contest in both formats next month. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya will likely lead the side as uncertainty surrounds Rohit Sharma's return from his thumb injury.

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All-rounder Hardik Pandya will, in all probability, lead India in the forthcoming Twenty20 International (T20I) series versus Sri Lanka, planned to start on January 3 in Mumbai, according to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources. The second and third matches of the series will be held in Pune (January 5) and Rajkot (January 7). It is understood that common skipper-cum-opener Rohit Sharma's thumb injury might take a while to mend. However, there needs to be more clarity on whether he will step down from the T20 captaincy or put the matter on hold for the time being.

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While it has been evident since India's ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final exit in Australia that there will be a shift in guard once the new selection committee takes over, there has yet to be a formal announcement. Also, despite the assumption, it can be guaranteed that there was no discussion on India's T20 leadership in the Apex Council meeting on Wednesday.

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"The matter wasn't even on the Apex Council agenda and wasn't discussed on the forum. Only the selection committee can take a call on captaincy," a BCCI official privy to the story told PTI on the condition of obscurity. However, India's T20 system could be updated, and all-rounder Hardik, who has demonstrated his captaincy sense for the reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Gujarat Titans (GT), is regarded as an immaculate alternate.

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While Rohit has had a thumb dislocation plus a webbing injury, he will be running to be fit for the Sri Lanka series. There are solely six T20Is scheduled so far in a year where One-Day Internationals (ODIs) will get preference due to the ICC World Cup. And, with Rohit not in the plans for the T20WC in 2024, it is only pressing that he might miss the T20Is unless he decides to quit the format entirely.

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A BCCI old guard, who has been an office-bearer, had a recommendation for President Roger Binny and Secretary Jay Shah. "The first T20I is at the Wankhede, Rohit's home ground. Why don't the selectors and the BCCI secretary Shah] give him a farewell T20 match, and there is a graceful changeover of the leadership baton?" he suggested. However, in the case of ODIs, Hardik's fitness and the workload management will be dissected before being thrown into the deep end.

(With inputs from PTI)