After India’s semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup last month, Hardik is considered a possible successor to Rohit Sharma, at least in T20Is. Over time, he has also acquired some captaincy experience. In May, he captained the debutant Gujarat Titans to their first IPL crown and then led India in their first ever T20I tour of Ireland to win the series 2–0. Most recently, he led India to a 1-0 series win in the T20Is in New Zealand, in the absence of senior players like Rohit, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
“Hardik Pandya is obviously in line,” Gambhir said at an event organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi on Sunday. “But it will be unfortunate for Rohit because I think judging his captaincy in just one ICC event is probably not the right way to judge him.”
In March this year, Shaw was reported to have failed the UU test. His score of less than 15 was a far cry from the BCCI men’s minimum score of 16.5.
After making his Test debut in 2018, the same year he led India to the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Shaw managed to play only four more Tests. Shaw’s limited overs appearances have also been few and far between. He last played for India in July 2021, when he was part of the second-ranked squad that toured Sri Lanka for three ODIs and as many T20Is.
“Why I picked Prithvi Shaw, I know a lot of people talk about his off-field activities, but that’s the job of coaches and selectors,” Gambhir said. “The job of the selectors is not just to pick the 15, but also to inspire people to follow the right path.
“Prithvi Shaw is someone I think is a very aggressive captain, a very successful captain because you see that aggression in the way a person plays the game.”
In the 50-over competition, his form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy was poor, with his only two half-centuries coming against the inexperienced Mizoram and Railways. In all, he managed to score just 217 runs in seven innings at an average of 31. He was overshadowed by fellow top-order batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, who topped the run charts with 396 runs in six innings for Mumbai, who were knocked out in the pre-quarters. – Finals
Over time, Shaw gained some captaincy experience with Mumbai in addition to captaining India U-19. At the junior level, he led a batch of players, many of whom are currently regulars in the IPL.
