SA vs IND: BCCI to convince Rohit Sharma for captaincy in T20I format

New Delhi : BCCI will be trying to convince Indian captain Rohit Sharma to continue leading the Men in Blue in the T20I format, despite his initial decision against it following the T20 World Cup 2023 semi-final exit. The board is scheduled to unveil three squads for the upcoming South Africa tour on Thursday.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah is scheduled to meet with chief selector and former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar in New Delhi to deliberate on the squads for the upcoming tour and strategize for the next significant tournament on the horizon—the T20 World Cup.

Given that regular T20 skipper Hardik Pandya is sidelined for another month due to an ankle ligament tear sustained during the recently concluded ODI World Cup, the decision lies between assigning the responsibility to Suryakumar Yadav or placing trust in Rohit's leadership skills, which garnered global acclaim in the last seven weeks.

It is important to note that earlier, Rohit had expressed his reluctance to participate in the T20 format. However, the manner in which he led the side in the ODI World Cup has convinced the BCCI that he should continue playing in white-ball cricket until the T20 World Cup in the Americas in June-July.

“Yes, there remains a question about what happens when Hardik comes back, but within the BCCI, there is a belief that if Rohit agrees to lead in T20Is, he will also lead in the T20 World Cup. If Rohit does not agree, then Surya will continue as captain for T20Is in South Africa,” said a BCCI source with knowledge of the situation, speaking to PTI on the condition of anonymity.