Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has voiced his opinion on Suryakumar Yadav being appointed as India’s T20I captain for the Sri Lanka series over Hardik Pandya. Kaif expressed that Pandya’s credentials as the vice-captain during the 2024 T20 World Cup warranted his consideration for the captaincy role.
Initially seen as the natural successor to Rohit Sharma after Sharma’s retirement from T20Is following the 2024 World Cup victory, Pandya’s leadership experience, both in the IPL and with the national team, was thought to be a significant advantage. However, Pandya’s persistent injury concerns and workload management seem to have sidelined him from the captaincy position.
Interestingly, Pandya is not even the vice-captain for the upcoming three-match series in Sri Lanka, with Shubman Gill being rapidly promoted to a leadership role across the white-ball formats.
Hardik Pandya Should Have Remained The Captain – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif highlighted Hardik Pandya’s successful leadership of the Gujarat Titans and his role as vice-captain in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kaif noted that with a new coach, their plans might influence the decision.
“I think that Hardik Pandya should have remained the captain. He led the Gujarat Titans for two years, made it to the finals on both occasions and won a title. Hardik was already leading the T20I team, he was the vice-captain in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Now there’s a new coach, so there will be some kind of planning, I don’t know,” Kaif said in an interaction with IANS.
Hardik Pandya had a successful tenure as Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper, leading them to a title and a runner-up finish in 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, he moved to the Mumbai Indians (MI) before the IPL 2024 season. He struggled both as a batter and captain, and MI finished at the bottom of the table.
Suryakumar Yadav Is Also Doing Quite Well – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif acknowledged that Suryakumar Yadav is performing well and has been effective for the team. The former batter said he expected Hardik Pandya to be appointed captain, adding that the all-rounder has not done anything wrong to be overlooked as captain.
“Surya is also doing quite well, he is not doing a bad job as such. He has also been playing for quite a while now and doing well for the team. I expect him to lead the team well, but I thought Hardik would be the captain. Gambhir has been the coach of some great teams and he has knowledge of the game as well, so he will be thinking in a certain way. But, I don’t think that Hardik Pandya has done anything wrong to be not considered as captain,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir plans to establish a core team for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. The coaching staff and selectors are concerned about Hardik Pandya’s availability for future series leading up to the World Cup, while Suryakumar Yadav is a regular starter in the T20I team.
