India are playing their first T20I series since becoming the ICC T20 World Cup champions by defeating South Africa in the Final. The newly crowned champions are currently facing Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series in Harare.
Debuting captain Shubhman Gill will be leading the Indian contingent with only three members from the World Cup playing squad joining the young team in Zimbabwe. Gill was also a part of the reserves that travelled to the USA and the West Indies, but was released following the conclusion of the group stages.
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Gill’s only experience as skipper came along in the IPL 2024 season as he led the Gujarat Titans following Hardik Pandya’s departure to rejoin the Mumbai Indians as their skipper. Although Gujarat Titans failed to make it to the knockouts, Gill got a good taste of captaincy experience, which could come in use in the ongoing series.
With Gill in charge of the team, India have had nine captains in the shorter format of the game since Virat Kohli stepped down as the skipper back in 2021. Out of the nine, only Rohit Sharma has sealed his legacy as the best so far.
READ MORE: India vs Zimbabwe live: Scores updates, result and highlights from the first T20 international
Indian captains in T20Is since Kohli’s stepping down
Rohit Sharma was announced as the new skipper following Kohli’s voluntary decision to step down as captain. Whenever Rohit has missed a series or has been unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, India have had a different captain to lead the team, leading to nine different captains in three years with the addition of Shubhman Gill.
Indian skippers in T20Is since the 2021 T20 World Cup:
- Rohit Sharma
- Hardik Pandya
- Rishabh Pant
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Shikhar Dhawan
- KL Rahul
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Shubhman Gill
READ MORE: Which active cricketers have won the most ICC men's trophies?
With Rohit announcing his retirement from T20Is following India’s World Cup triumph, the leading candidate to take over is the vice-captain, Hardik Pandya. Hardik had a stellar World Cup, putting up important performances with both bat and the ball.
Pandya was important to the Indian team that lifted the cup in the West Indies, staying undefeated throughout the tournament.
Hardik’s efforts in the team’s success have been massive. With senior players in Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is, Hardik is the chosen one to lead the generation of upcoming stars towards glory.
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