Published: Dec 05, 2022, 11:04 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 05, 2022, 11:09 AM (IST)
New Delhi: Given that the next T20 World Cup will be played in 2024, there are high chances that senior players like Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli will not be part of the T20 team for long. The senior players were not part of the T20I series in New Zealand as well and Hardik Pandya was named the skipper of the side. Hardik led the team to a 1-0 win over the hosts. Speculations are rife that Hardik Pandya will be named the permanent skipper of team India in T20Is when Rohit Sharma decides to let go of the format.
While former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have backed Hardik for the role, Maninder Singh sees Shreyas Iyer as Rohit Sharma’s successor. Iyer has been the backbone of India’s middle order in ODIs but is not a permanent member of the T20I team.
“I’ve been saying this for the past 3-4 years, you know Shreyas Iyer is my favorite, whenever I have seen him lead any side, when he led the IPL side or anywhere, he looks like a good thinker of the game. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he is somebody who is very positive. You can see his approach when he bats, whenever he comes to bat he is looking for runs. He is not somebody who thinks that – ‘I’m gonna stay at the wicket for sometime, and then I start scoring runs’. If he doesn’t get boundaries from the word go, you can see him rotating his strike, he is looking for singles, trying to find the gaps and that’s his quality,” Maninder was quoted by Hindustan Times.
Maninder said that he understands that Hardik Pandya is the top choice for the leadership role but added that he wants to see Shreyas Iyer lead India. Maninder, who played 35 Tests and 59 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India, requested the selectors to give Iyer a long run in all formats.
“For me, I still feel, I’ve said it earlier Hardik Pandya at the moment – you can make him the captain in white-ball cricket. But in my mind, its Shreyas Iyer, actually (a candidate) for the past 3-4 years. I really hope that we give him opportunities to play for India regularly in all the formats because he has a good brain,” the ex-India cricketer added.
