It is regrettable that India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya was removed from the T20 team’s captaincy after having captained the squad multiple times between 2022 and 2024. In lieu of Rohit Sharma, who is retiring following the 2024 T20 World Cup, the BCCI selection committee has chosen to name Suryakumar Yadav captain. However, a report suggests that Hardik might take over as captain again as a result of Suryakumar’s poor play
Once at the top of the ICC T20 batsman rankings, Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been steadily deteriorating ever since he was given the Indian team’s captaincy. He has only managed to collect 258 runs in 14 innings since taking over as captain prior to the Sri Lanka tour last year, with an average of just 18.42. He only managed to score 28 runs in 5 innings during the just-finished home Twenty20 series against England, failing to open the score twice.
Some BCCI officials and new head coach Gautam Gambhir reportedly think that Hardik has failed in the past and could be given the captaincy again because of Suryakumar’s success.
Why was not Hardik selected as the T20 captain
Ajit Agarkar, the head of the BCCI selection committee, has previously stated that Hardik was not selected for captaincy for fitness-related reasons.
He had stated, “Hardik is a crucial member of the team, but he has struggled with staying healthy. The coach and selectors find it challenging to make a choice when a player is consistently unavailable. We chose Suryakumar as the captain for this reason. We believed that this would help us better control Hardik.
Now, if Suryakumar’s bad play persists, the BCCI might take Hardik Pandya’s appointment as T20 captain into consideration once more.