Kapil Dev Announces Hardik Pandya As New Indian Captain

Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev stated that there are many candidates for the position, but he supports Hardik Pandya to lead the national cricket team. Rohit Sharma's white-ball captaincy is coming to an end, and all eyes are on who will take over as India's limited-overs skipper.

Hardik Pandya was projected to succeed Rohit Sharma as India's T20I captain after the country won the T20 World Cup in 2024. The selectors, however, chose Suryakumar Yadav to captain the team. Despite having Pandya in the team, Axar Patel was selected as vice-captain for the recent T20I series against England.

Hardik has led India in 16 T20Is, with ten victories and one tie. Following Rohit Sharma's withdrawal from the T20I format, the selectors named Suryakumar Yadav as the full-time skipper. Shubman Gill served as India's vice-captain during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy triumph.

Hardik Pandya Is My White-Ball Captain - Kapil Dev

In an interview with MyKhel, Kapil Dev revealed his own preference for India's future limited-over skipper. The former World Cup-winning captain recommended Hardik Pandya for the position, claiming he is the finest option among numerous strong applicants.

"To me, Hardik Pandya is my white ball captain. There are many contenders for the post, but Pandya is my choice," Kapil Dev said during a PGTI pro-am event in Greater Noida on Saturday (April 5).

Pandya is now mature feels Kapil

Kapil Dev praised the all-rounder for his development and maturity in recent years. He stated that Pandya's age and leadership qualities make him a great option to lead the team through the future ICC competitions and that it is difficult to look beyond him for the captaincy position.

"Pandya is relatively young and can build a team around him for the next ICC events," Kapil said.

Hardik was Rohit Sharma's deputy at the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States. He also served as vice-captain in the 2023 ODI World Cup but was forced to quit owing to injury midway through the competition.

Kapil Dev says India will need multiple captains for all three formats

The former Indian captain also stated that India is unlikely to have a single skipper for all three formats. He stated that while Hardik Pandya is his ideal candidate for white-ball leadership, his absence from Test cricket means India will require different captains for each format.

"Ideally, Hardik should also play Test cricket, and since he isn't playing, India will need multiple captains for the three formats," he said.

The Mumbai Indians, captained by Hardik Pandya, began their IPL 2025 season with a four-wicket loss against the Chennai Super Kings. He scored 11 off 17 balls against the Gujarat Titans and 28 off 16 against the Lucknow Super Giants. Pandya grabbed eight wickets at an average of 9.38, with his best figures of 5/36.

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