New Delhi: As the argument gets off, former India head coach Ravi Shastri offers his straight assessment of one of the competition's top candidates, Hardik Pandya.

Team India is in the middle of a format transition. The team will undoubtedly experience a change in captaincy in addition to the ageing of the senior players because the current all-format skipper, Rohit Sharma, is now 36 years old. If suspicions are accurate, the phase-out process will start after the ODI World Cup, and Rohit's role may change as a result. Therefore, the topic of who will take over the reins in all mediums is raised. As the discussion gets off, former India head coach Ravi Shastri offers his straightforward assessment of one of the competition's top candidates, Hardik Pandya.

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Few people ever questioned if Hardik would ever become a captaincy contender. But did Gujarat Titans' genius in 2022 really convince many people that India had identified the true heir? Hardik had already returned to the sport after a protracted struggle with a back injury, therefore it was too soon to make an official statement, thus Rohit kept playing in all formats.

The confidence increased as a result of Hardik's great performance as an all-rounder in white-ball cricket and his outstanding captaincy abilities in both IPL and India matches, which Rohit missed. Hardik has already established himself as the only player to succeed Rohit as the World Cup approaches. However, is it limited to white-ball cricket?

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Despite an excellent performance in T20Is and ODIs, Hardik has not played in a Test match since his previous one in 2018. Hardik hasn't said anything yet, despite the fact that the majority of veterans have been hoping for his comeback to red-ball cricket.

Shastri responded quickly when The Week directly queried him on whether Hardik can also take over as Test captain. He backed the all-rounder for the white-ball skipper but noted that Hardik's body couldn't handle the lengthier format.

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“His body cannot cope with Test cricket. Let's be very clear about that. After the World Cup, if his body is fit enough, he should take over captaincy in white-ball cricket,” he said.

The seasoned Indian cricketer also believed that it was time for India to start replacing its senior players with a younger group that was more capable of competing on a global level.

"There are seniors ready to be phased out and there are youngsters ready. No question about it when it comes to T20 cricket. Lesser in 50-over cricket and even fewer in Tests," he said.

"Because of the IPL, you see an abundance of high-quality, young, white-ball players. But, one should not get carried away by that and think they should be automatic red-ball choices. No, I would rather see the red-ball record. I would sit with the selectors and find out more about who the [red-ball performances] were against, in what conditions, what are their strengths, what is the temperament of the bloke like."

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