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Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan in contention for India captaincy on Sri Lanka tour

Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan and flamboyant allrounder- turned specialist batsman Hardik Pandya will be locked in a two-way fight for India captaincy if Shreyas Iyer doesn't get fit in time.

Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan in contention for India captaincy on Sri Lanka tour

New Delhi, May 11: In an unprecedented first in more than two decades, Team India will have separate teams participating on two different tours. The upcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July will see a relatively younger limited-overs team as quite a few key members of the side will be in the United Kingdom to prepare for the Test series against England.

Captain Virat Kohli, his white-ball format deputy Rohit Sharma and several other key players - who are equally important in the ODIs and T20Is - will be in England for the Test series, starting August 4. In the absence of Virat and Rohit, the selectors will also be required to appoint a new captain for the Sri Lanka tour.

India will tour Sri Lanka in July for limited overs series: GangulyIndia will tour Sri Lanka in July for limited overs series: Ganguly

Also, the fitness of Shreyas Iyer - who has been considered as a future captain of the national side - also remains to be seen. If Iyer - who had surgery last month - isn't fit on time, then the selectors will have to appoint a new captain.

It is now being believed that senior cricketer and opener Shikhar Dhawan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are the biggest contenders for the job. It's only logical that the two contenders for captaincy are 35-year-old Dhawan, who has had good "one and a half IPLs" in the last two seasons and Pandya junior, who is one of the most accomplished match-winners.

A BCCI official privy to the selection matters, on condition of anonymity, told PTI, "It is still not clear if Shreyas will recover fully and will be match-fit in time for a tour of Sri Lanka. Normally, a surgery of this scale along with rest, extensive rehab and training to get back in shape takes around four months."

"In case Shreyas was available, he would have been the automatic choice for captaincy. Shikhar has had two very good IPL including this curtailed one and being the senior-most among those who are available for selection, he is a very strong contender. Also, he has been a solid performer for India for the past eight years," an official told PTI.

As far as Hardik is concerned, his reputation as a white-ball match-winner has grown in leaps and bounds.

"Yes, Hardik hasn't been regularly bowling for MI or India in recent times. However, he is the man with x-factor and among the options available. He is miles ahead of his peers in terms of being an impact performer. And who knows, maybe extra responsibility brings the best out of him."

Pandya was included in the four-Test series at home against England so that his bowling workload is increased keeping the England tour in mind but it is learnt that the Baroda cricketer is unlikely to bowl more than an odd over or two in the shortest format or ODI in near future. This was the same reason why he wasn't picked up in the Test squad in the first place.

"Hardik, after his back surgery to cure stress fracture, is not the same bowler anymore. He was a fast-medium bowler before the injury but to bowl at a brisk 135 kmph plus pace consistently, could impact his back. "So he is focussing more on his match finishing skills," a person in the know of things said.

Story first published: Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 18:17 [IST]
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