The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made the decision to replace Hardik Pandya from the captaincy position for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. Ajit Agarkar, the chief of the Selection Committee, expressed reservations about Pandya’s tactical abilities as a captain, particularly in light of his challenging tenure with the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20I cricket after India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on June 29, Pandya, who served as vice-captain during the tournament, was considered a leading candidate for succession. However, the BCCI opted to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain instead.
Suryakumar Yadav has been chosen to lead the Indian team during the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, with the first match scheduled at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, July 27. This series marks the debut assignment for Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the national cricket team.
Recent reports indicate that the decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain was a collaborative effort between Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir. Prior to the official announcement of the squad for the Sri Lanka white-ball tour by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Hardik Pandya was informed of this decision.
Ajit Agarkar Not Impressed by Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy – Report
Reports from the media indicated a preference among Indian team members for Suryakumar Yadav over Hardik Pandya as the T20I captain, stemming from Yadav’s performance in South Africa last December. Gautam Gambhir, reportedly concerned about Pandya’s fitness, also leaned towards Yadav. However, according to PTI, Ajit Agarkar expressed reservations about Pandya’s tactical acumen.
Hardik Pandya assumed the captaincy role for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL seasons of 2022 and 2023, guiding the team to the finals both years. Under his leadership, GT claimed the title in 2022 but lost to MS Dhoni’s CSK in 2023. Ashish Nehra, head coach of Gujarat Titans, played a crucial role in supporting Pandya and the team during these successful campaigns.
In contrast, during his tenure as captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), Hardik did not receive the same level of support from South African coach Mark Boucher as he did from Nehra. MI faced significant challenges under Pandya’s leadership in the recent IPL season, becoming the first team to be eliminated from IPL 2024.
Still Feel A Litte Injustice Has Been Meted To Hardik Pandya – Sanjay Bangar
On the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues,’ Sanjay Bangar said that Hardik Pandya has been unfairly treated by the selectors. Bangar acknowledged Suryakumar Yadav’s experience, including his domestic captaincy. However, Bangar still felt that Hardik was treated unjustly in this decision.
“It’s not that Suryakumar Yadav has played less domestic cricket before playing international cricket. So he has a lot of experience, I think he has led Mumbai in domestic cricket as well and knows how to extract the best from the players.”
“So there is nothing wrong in Suryakumar being made the captain. I fully believe that he will do a good job but I still feel a little injustice has been meted out to Hardik,” the former India batting coach added.
