India have won the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy within the last year. With Rohit Sharma stepping away from the T20 format and nearing the twilight of his international career, the search for a new white-ball captain has intensified.
Kapil Dev, India’s first World Cup-winning captain, has made his pick. “To me, Hardik Pandya is my white ball captain. There are many contenders for the post but Pandya is my choice,” Kapil said in an interview with MyKhel during a PGTI pro-am event in Greater Noida.
India currently have Suryakumar Yadav as their full-time T20I captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain in ODIs. Pandya previously served as vice-captain in both white-ball formats but has not had a designated leadership role in recent months. Fitness concerns and irregular availability have limited his participation and, by extension, his leadership opportunities.
Kapil Dev sees Pandya as a long-term investment for Indian white-ball cricket. “Pandya is relatively young and can build a team around him for the next ICC events,” he said, signalling his belief that Pandya’s age and experience make him the right candidate to shape India’s future in limited-overs cricket.
While Pandya has not led India recently, he has prior captaincy experience. He led Gujarat Titans to an IPL title in their debut season in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023. However, his return to Mumbai Indians as captain was met with turbulence. Mumbai Indians finished last in the 2024 season, winning only four of their 14 matches. They began the 2025 season poorly as well, securing just one win from their first four games.
Despite this downturn in IPL fortunes, Kapil Dev believes Pandya’s leadership potential at the international level remains strong. However, Pandya hasn’t played a Test match in over six years and does not feature in domestic red-ball cricket. Kapil addressed this challenge directly: “Ideally, Hardik should also play Test cricket and since he isn’t playing, India will need multiple captain for three formats.”
As Indian cricket eyes a new generation of leadership, Kapil Dev’s endorsement of Pandya stands out. His views reinforce the growing belief that Pandya, with the right backing and fitness, could be the ideal choice to lead India in white-ball cricket going forward.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
