3 reasons why India must groom Shreyas Iyer for ODI captaincy
Since Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is, the debate for his captaincy heir in the format between Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya has been raging like wildfire. The Mumbai Indians teammates are ambitious and come with their pros and cons and this discussion is likely to continue for the coming months.
One thing that is being ignored is that Rohit's ODI future isn't 100 percent certain either. He'll likely lead India in the 2025 Champions Trophy but would be 39 at the time and pushing two more years for the 2027 World Cup might not be plausible.
So, India would at least need to be prepared with a candidate if he decides to step down after 25. They'll need someone to be close enough to the team to build towards the World Cup in two years while implying his vision.
If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to keep the same captain for ODI and T20I, that might not be possible with either Suryakumar or Hardik.
Suryakumar doesn't make India's ODI 11 on his numbers in the format while Hardik is a massive injury risk in 50-overs cricket. KL Rahul hasn't won confidence in ODIs as well and Rishabh Pant is also a more established Test player than an ODI one.
There's one man who ticks all the boxes - Shreyas Iyer. Below are three detailed reasons why India should groom him as Rohit's ODI captaincy replacement.
#3 Sure-shot in the playing 11
Shreyas is nowhere close to India's T20I squad and his ouster in the middle of the home Test series against England means that that door is a bit far for now too. In ODIs, however, he's almost as important as Rohit and Virat Kohli.
At the 2019 World Cup, his batting performances were a major reason behind India's success. He solved the irritating number four problem and made the position his own - a fact that was nailed upon with his back-to-back centuries in the final league game and the semi-final against New Zealand.
He has had issues with his back too but that is minor relative to Pandya. ODIs' calm tempo also offers him the best environment to manage his body.
One of the first steps of the Gautam Gambhir coaching era should be restoring Shreyas's central contract and making him the vice-captain. He'll play every ODI and can learn the trade from Rohit, and Kohli to initiate the transition easily.
#2 Experience and a proven record
Among the most important factors for a captain's choice, respect comes straight after availability. Shreyas has everything in his favor to command that respect.
He's just coming off a stunning IPL win, which many of his teammates would recognize as one of the best campaigns in the tournament history. His decision-making was brilliant and, as necessary in T20Is, involved minimal mistakes.
And this wasn't the only time. Shreyas was a revolutionary leader for Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) as he took them from a bottom-half team to a consistently qualifying one. Even then, he was Gambhir's preferred choice.
It's easy to judge from how he speaks about his captaincy and how his teammates talk about his leadership that he's a confident man who gives his players freedom. It might remind some of how Rohit was in his initial years as captain.
There's no reason why Shreyas can't replicate that success in ODIs, especially if he continues to fire with the bat. Thanks to the paucity of ODI bilaterals after the 2023 World Cup, Shreyas doesn't have any competition or a lot of expectations.
This is the right time to let him make a mark on a clean slate.
#1 Will create a smooth pathway with a vision
Shreyas presents the perfect chance to begin split captaincy in India. He's unlikely to play Tests and T20Is, which will allow him to completely focus on ODIs - a luxury (and almost a necessity at this level) India hasn't had in a long, long time.
That'll also mean that if Suryakumar, who won't play ODIs, is made the T20I captain, there would be minimal chance of friction between the two because their jobs would simply be in two different sectors. Even if Hardik is seen as the T20I heir, he can focus on captaining in the shortest format without worrying about ODIs.
And because he has worked with Gautam Gambhir before, communication between captains about the usage of all-format players should not be an issue. He's also just 29, so he would be open to listening while beginning his peak batting years.
There's so much going right for Shreyas. If the BCCI sees it, he could be the one to end India's wait for an ODI World Cup title in 2027.