Jay Shah declares Rohit Sharma as captain for T20 World Cup; Hardik Pandya to be his deputy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary, Jay Shah, declared on Wednesday that Rohit Sharma will lead India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the USA. Shah expressed confidence that under Rohit’s leadership, India would win the coveted T20 cricket prize and end their ICC trophy drought of over a decade.

Jay Shah made the declaration at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium, which was renamed after former BCCI and SCA secretary Niranjan Shah, ahead of the third Test between India and England in Rajkot.

The announcement was made in the presence of India captain Rohit, head coach Rahul Dravid, and chairman of the men’s senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar. Following the event, Shah explained in detail the reasons for appointing Rohit as the captain for the T20 World Cup.

“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.

Rohit had been absent from T20Is for 14 months but made a strong comeback in January during the series against Afghanistan. Despite a forgettable start, Rohit’s outstanding performance in the third T20I, scoring an unbeaten 121, helped India win a thrilling double Super-Over contest.

Hardik Pandya to be Vice-Captain

The BCCI secretary further explained that due to Hardik’s injury during the World Cup, there were limited options for T20I captaincy. He confirmed that Hardik Pandya would be Rohit’s deputy, stating, “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.

India’s World Cup Loss

Speaking at the event, Jay also opened up on India’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup at home last year after a commanding 10-match winning streak, saying that despite not getting the trophy home, India won hearts with their winning streak.

“We may have lost the final of World Cup 2023. But we won the hearts of everyone by winning 10 matches in a row. I am confident that India will lift the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy at Barbados,” said the BCCI secretary.

India’s last major trophy win was in 2013 when they won the ICC Champions Trophy in the UK. Despite consistent performances across various ICC tournaments. India has fallen short of fulfilling the ultimate goal.

T20 World Cup 2024

This year’s T20 World Cup, commencing on June 1, will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. India will start their campaign against Ireland on June 5, followed by a clash with arch-rival Pakistan on June 9. Subsequent matches are scheduled against Canada and the USA on June 12 and June 15, respectively.

With an expanded lineup of 20 teams compared to the 16 in the 2022 tournament in Australia, the competition promises increased excitement. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8 stage.

A total of 55 games will be played across six different venues in the West Indies, including Kensington Oval in Barbados and Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. The Group Stage will run from June 1 to June 18, followed by the Super 8 stage from June 19 to June 24.

The final four stages, featuring the semi-finals, are scheduled for June 26 and June 27.