'Hardik Pandya will definitely...': Jay Shah confirms WHO WILL BE INDIA's CAPTAIN for T20 World Cup

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has unequivocally put an end to any speculation regarding the captaincy of the Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup 2024. Confirming Rohit Sharma as India's skipper for the ICC mega event in the USA and West Indies scheduled for June-July, Shah expressed confidence in ending India's ICC trophy drought under Rohit's leadership. 

Jay Shah confirms Rohit Sharma will lead India in T20 World Cup 2024

Speaking at an event attended by Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, Jay Shah expressed his emotional commitment to India's success in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, slated to take place in the USA and West Indies later this year. Shah, visibly moved, reassured everyone present by affirming Rohit's captaincy for the tournament.

"I have never spoken about it but many people ask me about the World Cup. While the defeat in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup was a setback, our team's consecutive victories in the aftermath undoubtedly won the admiration of fans worldwide. I want to promise you that India, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, will triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados," Jay Shah said at the event organised to rename the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. 

“Rohit was captaining (in the past and in other formats) and he came back for the Afghanistan series after a year, which means we were going to let him continue forward,” said Shah.

Despite Hardik Pandya briefly assuming leadership in T20Is during Rohit Sharma's absence, Jay Shah's announcement reinstates the former as the captain, implying that Pandya will play under his leadership once again, akin to their dynamic within the Mumbai Indians team.

“Hardik Pandya will definitely be the vice-captain. When Hardik was injured in the World Cup, who else can we give the captaincy? In the third T20I against Afghanistan, India were 22/4 and the way Rohit Sharma took the team to 212/4, we can’t question much about him, right? He has the ability, as I said, we won ten games in the ODI World Cup. We didn’t win the final, but it’s part and parcel of the game. Whoever plays better, wins,” said Shah.

In a recent development, Hardik Pandya has assumed the role of captaincy for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians, taking over from Rohit Sharma. Pandya had departed the five-time champions before the IPL 2022 season to lead the newly established Gujarat Titans as their inaugural skipper. Under his leadership, the Titans clinched victory in the same year and made it to the final in IPL 2023, showcasing Pandya's prowess as a leader in the cricketing arena.