Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has named Hardik Pandya and Prithvi Shaw as potential captaincy candidates for the future. Hardik’s selection is understandable given that he led Gujarat to the Indian T20 League championship in their inaugural season.
Shaw, on the other hand, is a surprise selection because he hasn’t even played for his country since July 2021. On the other hand, Hardik is seen as a possible successor to Rohit Sharma in the game’s shortest format. After India lost in the T20 World Cup semi-finals to England, there have been calls for Hardik to replace Rohit, at least in the shortest format of the game.
Prithvi Shaw is one I feel can be a very aggressive captain: Gautam Gambhir
“Hardik Pandya obviously is in line. But that’s going to be unfortunate for Rohit because I think judging his captaincy in only one ICC event is not the right way to probably judge him,” Gambhir said at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
Further talking about Shaw, Gambhir said: “The reason I’ve picked Prithvi Shaw, I know a lot of people talk about his off-field activities, but that is what the job of the coach and the selectors are. The selectors’ job isn’t just to pick the 15, but also to get people walk the right path.”
“Prithvi Shaw is one I feel can be a very aggressive captain, a very successful captain because you see that aggression in the way a person plays the sport,” he added.
Shaw has recently been struggling to find a spot in India’s second-string white-ball team. The right-handed batter was also suspended in 2019 for a doping violation, and his fitness has been questioned ever since.
Hardik never had a chance to be India’s next captain. His name shot to the top of the list after captaining Gujarat to an impressive Indian T20 League title win in his first-ever stint as a captain in any tournament. Shaw, on the other hand, has previous captaincy experience, having led India’s U-19 team to a World Cup victory in 2018.
