Since his retirement, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya have been competing for the role of next T20 international team captain after Rohit Sharma. In the next few months, there will be a debate between two Mumbai Indians players who have their merits and demerits.
It is being ignored that also Rohit’s ODI future isn’t guaranteed completely. He is set to captain India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, but being 39 then and adding only two years for the 2027 World Cup raises some doubts.
In case he retires by 25, India would hence require an alternative to be ready at all times. There should be someone close enough to the team who can design plans towards the next World Cup in two years based on what he had in mind.
It might be challenging for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to have the same captain for ODI and T20I if they are considering Suryakumar or Hardik for the position in this case. Suryakumar’s statistics do not qualify him to make the ODI team of India; Hardik on the other hand presents a great danger of being injured frequently during a fifty-over cricket match.
And it is not different with leaders like KL Rahul who have not gained much trust during ODIs; he is still better known internationally for his skills as a Test cricketer along with others — an example being Rishabh Pant who has not been able to cement his place in the one-day squad despite playing Test cricket.
Here are the 3 Reasons why India Should Prepare Shreyas Iyer For The ODI Captaincy:
#1 Sure-shot in the playing 11
Shreyas is not even anywhere near getting into the T20I squad in India and therefore his elimination from the National squad during the home test series versus England tips the scales far too. However, in One Day Internationals (ODIs), he is almost of the same importance as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
His record with the bat was vital to India’s win at the 2019 World Cup as he made his batting number 4 with ease and even scored consecutive centuries in the last round-robin game and the semi-final against New Zealand.
His back has been problematic as well, although it is nothing compared to what Pandya goes through. This is the best environment for managing his body as ODIs have a calm tempo.
One thing that Gautam Gambhir should do first thing in his coaching reign is to have Shreyas’ central contract restored and appointed vice-captain. With Rohit and Kohli showing him the ropes during the first few matches, he would then take over. He will be featuring in all ODIs thereby mastering the art without much strain.
#2 Experience and a proven record
Respect is one of the major aspects that influence a captain’s decision-making and comes after availability. All that Shreyas needs to earn such a regard is at his disposal. He has just completed an impressive win at IPL which some of his team members would acknowledge to be among the best ever conducted during the tournament.
Consequently, during T20Is, he exhibited an intelligent decision-making character that saw very few errors happen. This wasn’t the only instance that shows how Shreyas changed the face of Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) taking them up from middle table finishers to a team that could always qualify. Nevertheless, he was still the best option for Gambhir.
The way he talks about how he captains a ship, and what his companions have to say about his leading reveals it all; he’s sure of himself about granting liberty to his performers. This might ring a bell with one thing or another that happened when Rohit started as captain.
Given that the crowding out phenomenon for ODIs is after the World Cup 2023; Shreyas has no competition at all and does not have high expectations either; hence he has no reason at all as to why he will not replicate this success especially when he keeps performing well with his bat.
#3 Will create a smooth pathway with a vision
This is the right time to start having two different captains in India as Shreyas presents a perfect opportunity for it. The fact that he will unlikely feature in the Tests and T20Is implies that he would have all his attention directed towards ODI’s -and this has been a luxury (but almost inevitable thing) that India has taken long without.
In the case of Suryakumar, who is set to be a T20I skipper does not take part in ODIs, this will also imply that the two have dissimilar roles and as a result, there is not likely to be any clash between them. The fact that Hardik Pandya remains the next in line for this limited-overs variant has no bearing on him leading his country out without bothering about ODI games.
It would not be difficult for captains to have dialogue on the deployment of players across all formats owing to prior engagement between him and Gautam Gambhir. Moreover, we are aware that he only turned 29 and this implies that he might regard giving a serious thought while entering into his prime years as a batsman.
And this is for much of what is happening correctly to Shreyas. Shreyas could very well be India’s hope for the 2027 ODI World Cup championship if only BCCI can read between the lines.
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