Will Hardik Pandya lead India in South Africa T20I series in Rohit, Virat's absence?

In the absence of key players such as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Virat Kohli, Gujarat-born all-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to lead Team India in the upcoming T20 series against South Africa and Ireland. Hardik, who has impressed everyone with his brilliant captaincy in the ongoing Indian Premier League, may get the opportunity to lead India in a bilateral series for the first time in his career keeping in mind that several key players from the Indian setup will be missing for the clash, including skipper Rohit Sharma and vice-captain KL Rahul. 

According to news agency PTI, veteran batsman Shikhar Dhawan is also in line for the captaincy job for both the South Africa and Ireland series. Dhawan has the experience of leading Team India in white-ball formats. He was appointed the temporary captain of the Indian white-ball squads in absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma last year. Dhawan travelled to Sri Lanka as captain of the Indian limited-overs squad when both Kohli and Sharma were busy playing the Test series in England.  

"All the senior India players will get at least three and half weeks of complete rest. Rohit, Virat, KL, Rishabh, and Jasprit will all directly go to England for the 'fifth Test' following the white-ball series. We need all our key players to remain fresh for the England series. The selectors have a couple of choices. Shikhar Dhawan, as he has already captained India in absence of Virat, Rohit and Rahul during last year's Sri Lanka series. But Hardik Pandya's impressive captaincy for Gujarat Titans hasn't gone unnoticed. So it will be a close call," a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Hardik or Shikhar?

In his debut season as captain of an IPL franchise, Hardik has helped Gujarat Titans become the first team to qualify for the playoffs. With nine wins in 12 games, Gujarat Titans are presently leading the IPL 2022 points table. Hardik himself has played some really good all-round cricket this season and is one of the top performers for his side. Going into the South Africa series, Hardik will undoubtedly have the upper hand over Dhawan in terms of getting picked for the leadership role.

The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa will begin on June 9. The matches will be played in New Delhi, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Bengaluru. According to reports, the squad for the series is expected to be announced on May 22.

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