Hardik unlikely to recover before Australia series; Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad in contention to lead

Star allrounder Hardik Pandya who has been leading India in the T20I format since the Men in Blue lost the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal to England in Adelaide, is unlikely to feature in the forthcoming T20I series against Australia at home.

As per a PTI report, Hardik requires more time to recover from the ankle injury he sustained in his follow-through during the World Cup game against Bangladesh while playing at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on October 19.

"There is some time before Hardik can be declared fit and available for selection. It would be more practical for him to try and complete his rehabilitation with a possible 'RTP' (Return To Play) during SA (South Africa) series. It will certainly be NCA (National Cricket Academy) Sports science team's call," a BCCI official told the news agency PTI on the condition of anonymity.

If Hardik fails to recover on time then the All India Senior Men National Selection Committee headed by Ajit Agarkar might name either Suryakumar Yadav or Ruturaj Gaikwad the captain of India for the Australia series.

Suryakumar is one of India's most consistent performers in the T20I format and has been delivering stupendous performances with the bat in hand for quite some time now. Selectors can also look at Ruturaj as a potential captaincy candidate as he led India to gold at the recently culminated Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Based on reports, it seems that the team for the five-match T20I series against the Aussies will be announced after India's World Cup semifinal fixture.