Team India pipped South Africa by 7 runs in a nerve-wracking ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados to win their second accolade. After winning the prestigious title, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is.

This means that Hardik Pandya who served as Rohit Sharma's deputy will take on the mantle of captaincy. As a result, the vice-captain's slot is left vacant. The Indian team management must have set their sights on someone who can serve as the vice-captain, since the role becomes even more significant in shaping the team's success.

With the influx of young talent into the T20I squad, having an experienced vice-captain puts the team one step ahead in the game. In this article, let's go through the names of the three cricketers who have the potential to be the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team in T20Is.

1. Suryakumar Yadav: Suryakumar Yadav is one of the players the Indian think-tank would contemplate appointing him as the vice-captain. Sky has a touch of leadership experience in his resume and rightly so, he stands out as a compelling candidate for a vice-captain's role. He led Mumbai in domestic cricket and also served as the Indian captain for 7 T20Is in 2023 when Rohit Sharma took a break due to workload management.

2. Rishabh Pant: Rishabh Pant is one of the candidates who has every right to be Hardik Pandya's deputy in Twenty20 Internationals. He is the captain of Delhi Capitals where he showed his decision-making under pressure. As a wicketkeeper, he will be able to assist the captain in making crucial tactical decisions, like the field placements, bowling changes and so on. The 26-year-old has the tools to thrive in the vice-captain's role.

3. Shubman Gill: The 24-year-old is another strong candidate for the vice-captaincy role in India’s T20I set-up. He is the captain of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Besides that, he was the vice-captain of the U19 Indian side that clinched the World Cup in 2018. On the domestic front, he relished the taste of captaincy during the 2019-20 Mushtaq Ali trophy where the Punjab cricket team won both matches under his leadership. The youngster has been named the captain for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe and will be looking forward to making his presence count as a captain and batsman.