Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are currently two of the most talked-about cricketers in India. While Yadav has been promoted to captain the Indian T20I team, Pandya has faced a surprising demotion. Despite being part of the T20I squad for the Sri Lanka tour, Pandya has not even been named vice-captain. Reports suggest that Yadav is being considered as a long-term captaincy prospect in the shortest format. This shift comes as a surprise, especially since Pandya served as the vice-captain during India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign.
The decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain was reportedly influenced by the new Indian cricket team coach, Gautam Gambhir. According to a BCCI official who spoke with Hindustan Times, Gambhir did not explicitly advocate for Yadav in the discussions but emphasized the need for a captain whose workload wouldn’t hinder performance. Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, shared a similar viewpoint.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, however, has voiced his support for Hardik Pandya to take on the T20I captaincy. Kaif believes Pandya should have been given the role for the Sri Lanka tour, citing his successful captaincy of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. “The Gujarat Titans under Hardik’s leadership made it to the championship game in their First season. He has experience captaining the T20I side and was the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup. With a new coach comes new planning, and while Surya is a great player and the No. 1 T20 player, I feel they should have backed Hardik,” Kaif told IANS.
Kaif also praised Gambhir’s understanding of cricket but expressed his opinion that Pandya deserved the captaincy. “Gambhir has a great understanding of the game and is an accomplished coach and captain. I don’t think Hardik has done anything wrong to be denied the captaincy. He has experience, led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL trophy, and worked with young and fresh faces. He was entitled to the captaincy, so let’s wait and see how things unfold,” Kaif added.
