IND v SL: Hardik Pandya to captain Men in Blue in T20Is

Hardik Pandya will lead the Men in Blue in the three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka which will start on July 27. 

According to reports however, one amongst the heroes who led India to victory in the T20 World Cup will take a break during the three-match ODI series scheduled in August.

"Hardik Pandya was India's T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

It may be mentioned that Rohit Sharma retired from T20 Internationals at the end of the World Cup.

T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. The squad for the series is likely to be announced in the next couple of days.

There is no clarity about on who will be chosen as the deputy captain, however there is a competition between Shubman Gill, who recently led India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe, and Suryakumar Yadav, who led the side during the T20Is against South Africa in 2023.

On ODIs, the BCCI official confirmed that Pandya has asked for leave and has already communicated this to regular skipper Rohit Sharma.

"The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn't have any fitness issue as is being floated in the media," the official said.

For the ODIs, KL Rahul and Gill are in contention for the leadership.