Can Hardik Pandya become India's next test captain? Ravi Shastri gives straightforward answer

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri believes that Hardik Pandya's body cannot cope with Test cricket.

Hardik Pandya has been a leading contender for the captaincy race for months now. Several former cricketers have supported Hardik Pandya to take over the captaincy in all three formats from Rohit Sharma after the latter retires.

However, Ravi Shastri feels that Hardik Pandya's body cannot cope with playing Test cricket. "His body cannot cope with Test cricket. Let's be very clear about that," Shastri told The Week.

Ravi Shastri also believes that if Hardik Pandya is fit, he can take over the ODI captaincy. "After the World Cup, if his body is fit enough, he should take over the captaincy in white-ball cricket," said Shastri.

The former Indian coach also wants India to give youngsters more opportunities in the T20s. "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 added.

I have been very impressed with his captaincy at the T20 level: Sunil Gavaskar

The debate about the next captain of the Indian cricket team has been going on for a long time now. Rohit Sharma, 36, is likely to give up the captaincy in the shorter format of the game once the 2023 Men's World Cup is over. Several former cricketers talked about how Hardik Pandya fits right in as the next captain.

Recently, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar also spoke about Hardik Pandya's role as a captain.

“What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort with the rest of the team. Maybe, it’s the way he handles the players, and puts his arm around the players. He just seems to give the players a sense of comfort. That’s so important to give a player a sense of comfort so that he can go and play his natural game. I think he encourages them, which is a wonderful sign," said Gavaskar.

He added that he was impressed with the all-rounders' captaincy in the T20 format.

“I have been very impressed with his captaincy at the T20 level for the Gujarat Titans and for India when he is captaining the T20 side. I do believe that if he wins the first game in Mumbai, then you can almost stamp him as the India captain once the World Cup is over in 2023," said Gavaskar.