'India will go the 2007 route': Shastri's colossal 'Hardik Pandya' verdict, makes massive prediction on Kohli, Rohit

Ravi Shastri gave a colossal verdict on Hardik Pandya, which also had implications on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Ravi Shastri feels that with the next men's T20 World Cup just over a year away, Hardik Pandya could be handed the captaincy of the India team immediately.

Ravi Shastri made a huge Hardik Pandya prediction.

"Everyone can qualify to play, but I think Hardik will lead," Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo's Runorder. "The next two World Cups (after the 2023 ODI World Cup) are T20 cricket. He's already (standby) captain of India (in T20Is), so he will continue unless he is not fit. I think they (the selectors) will look into a new direction. There's a lot of talent among the youth at the moment. You might have a pretty much new team; there will be some new faces if not a new team.

"There will be still plenty who played in the last T20I match that India played, but there will be some new faces because what we've seen here in this year's IPL is some refreshing young talent."

Youngsters such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad are all expected to break into the India team in the next few months after top performances in the ongoing IPL season.

Rohit Sharma is currently India's designated captain across all formats, but he hasn't played a T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup. KL Rahul, his deputy at the tournament, hasn't played a T20I since the World Cup last year too. While India have since played eight T20Is, Pandya has been captain in all of them with Sharma resting. Of those eight, India have won five, lost two, and tied one.

At the last World Cup, India crashed out at the semi-final stage in spectacular fashion as England chased down the 170-run target in 16 overs with all ten wickets remaining.

Since then, India has tried some fresh faces, with good results. Shastri suggested going the 2007 route for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Before the 2007 T20 World Cup, with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and some others opting out, India had opted for a relatively inexperienced squad for the inaugural event, and lifted the trophy under MS Dhoni's captaincy.

"I feel they will go the 2007 route, where they will identify talent, and Hardik will have lots of choices when it comes to the selection," Shastri said. "Because his ideas will be different; he has played the IPL as a captain of a franchise and seen a lot of the other players. He will have his inputs. Whatever he says has to be given importance and listened to."

Until IPL 2022, Hardik had no captaincy experience at the senior level. But he led the Gujarat Titans, one of two new teams in the IPL that season, to the title with spectacular performances from himself and the team. The Titans are all but through to the playoffs in the ongoing season too with only the last few league-stage matches to go.

The only concern with Hardik is regarding his workload management, given he is expected to play a big role for India at the upcoming ODI World Cup as well and his struggle with injuries is well documented.

Shastri feels it should not be an issue, given he no longer plays the longest format of the game.

"It is not that he is playing three formats," Shastri said. "Everything now is separate. You have Test matches, so the moment a Test series comes, he gets a corridor of a month to rest and recuperate. He is supremely confident about his own ability. The fact that he is fully fit now makes a massive difference. Form plays an important role. When he is fit, then he is arguably one of the best T20 players in the world."