In Indian cricket, the biggest discussion these days is about the captaincy. After winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma has retired from this format. With his retirement, Team India is now looking for a new T20 captain. Initially, Hardik Pandya was leading the race, having served as the vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. However, he has suddenly fallen behind, and Suryakumar Yadav has surged ahead in the race.
Suryakumar has gained the support of the new coach, Gautam Gambhir. Under Gambhir’s captaincy, he has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, and they know each other well. This familiarity seems to be working in Suryakumar’s favor. Recently, he captained Team India against South Africa and Australia. On the other hand, Hardik has led India in this format during several series over the past two years.
Now that it is clear that either Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav will be India’s new T20 captain, let’s look at their records. Besides T20 Internationals, Suryakumar has captained in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the IPL. Similarly, Hardik has also captained an IPL team for a considerable period.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Captaincy Record
Suryakumar Yadav has captained India in 7 T20 matches, securing 5 wins and 2 losses. In the Ranji Trophy, under his captaincy, Mumbai won 1 out of 6 matches, lost 2, and drew 3. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he led Mumbai to victory in 10 out of 16 matches, while losing 6. In the IPL, he captained Mumbai Indians in just 1 match and won it.
Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy Record
As for Hardik Pandya, he has led India in 16 T20 matches, achieving 10 wins and 5 losses, with 1 match ending in a tie. In the IPL, he has captained both Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. He led Gujarat Titans to the championship in 2022. Overall, he has captained 45 IPL matches, winning 26 and losing 19.