Hardik Pandya has requested the BCCI to give him a rest during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, allowing either KL Rahul or Shubman Gill to take over as captain, as regular captain Rohit Sharma is also unlikely to play in the tour. On the other hand, the great all-rounder is the clear favorite to lead India in the three-match T20I series that will precede the ODIs in Sri Lanka.

Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side, a senior BCCI official said. The T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. The squad for the series is expected to be announced soon.

While it is unclear who will be Pandya’s deputy, the choice is between Shubman Gill, who recently captained India to a 4-1 series victory over Zimbabwe, and Suryakumar Yadav, who led the team in the T20Is against South Africa last year. The ball will likely land at Suryakumar’s advantage because he is regarded as a backup captain. He, too, performed admirably as captain in last year’s home series against Australia, as well as a couple of matches in South Africa.

The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn’t have any fitness issues as is being floated in the media, the BCCI official said. For the ODIs, KL Rahul, who led Men in Blue in the last South Africa series, and Gill are in contention for the captaincy role.