"Fitness An Excuse": Ex-Pakistan Captain Slams BCCI Over Hardik Pandya Captaincy Snub

26.07.2024 - 13:23 sports.ndtv.com

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was denied the leadership role as Team India made a shock captaincy pick in Suryakumar Yadav for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Hardik's snub and Suryakumar's elevation as captain has sparked a big debate in the cricketing fraternity. Over the past couple of years, Hardik led India in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma, and was also assigned the vice-captaincy for the recently concluded T20 World Cup, which India won after beating South Africa in the final in Barbados.

Suryakumar, on the other hand, led India last year during the T20I series' against Australia and South Africa. While Rohit Sharma announced his T20I retirement last month, Hardik didn't even get the vice-captaincy, with the selectors picking Shubman Gill for that role in both T20Is and ODIs.

Speaking in a press conference, India chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that fitness and availability for all matches was the reason why the national selectors opted for Suryakumar, and not Hardik, who has had a history of injury concerns.

cricket Sri Lanka Cricket Team India Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya Ajit Agarkar Suryakumar Yadav Australia South Africa India Sri Lanka Pakistan Barbados

Newly appointed India head coach, Gautam Gambhir began his career in the new role with a 3-0 T20I series triumph against Sri Lanka. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy received its due credit in the post-series dressing room speech given by head coach Gambhir while all-rounder Hardik Pandya also had some special words for his Mumbai Indians teammate. The comments from Gambhir and Hardik were shared by the BCCI in a video published on social media.

"Amuses Me He's Termed As All-Rounder From...": Ex-Pakistan Coach's Straight Talk On Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya's importance in Indian cricket currently is immense. Being a top fast bowling allrounder, Pandya represents a breed that is a rarity in the sport in the country. His presence in the XI provides great balance and it was seen in the T20 World Cup. Pandya bowled two crucial late overs in the final against South Africa as India edged past their rivals. He is handy batter too. However, he is not the captain or vice-captain for the Sri Lanka T20I series, and the reason was his fitness.

"Not Able To Understand": World Cup-Winning Star Blasts Reasoning Behind Hardik Pandya's Captaincy Snub

Former cricketer Kris Srikkanth showered praise on star India batter Suryakumar Yadav and said that he has the qualities to lead the Men in Blue. India has named Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of their men's T20I team for the tour of Sri Lanka, with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of the T20I and ODI sides. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that Suryakumar can prove himself to be a good captain in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

"Us Against The World": Jasprit Bumrah Breaks Silence On Hardik Pandya-Rohit Sharma Captaincy Row

The IPL 2024 was marred with controversies when it comes to Mumbai Indians. The franchise decided to appoint Hardik Pandya as the captain in place of Rohit Sharma ahead of the new season - a decision that did not go down well with a section of the fanbase. As MI failed to perform well on the ground, Hardik faced a lot of criticism and he was even booed by some fans at the Wankhede Stadium. However, things completely changed after Hardik played a major role in guiding India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title. In a recent interaction, India and Mumbai Indians fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah opened up regarding the entire controversy and said that although things were bad, the team support Hardik in the tough times.

"Couldn't Gain Respect": IPL Show Led To Hardik Pandya's India Captaincy Snub, Ex- Sri Lanka Star Explains

Hardik Pandya has been going through a tough time in the past one year since the time he was made the captain of IPL side Mumbai Indians. After he replaced Rohit Sharma as the skipper of Mumbai Indians, Pandya was booed at most stadiums where the side played at the IPL 2024. After the T20 World Cup 2022, he was deemed to take over as the T20 captaincy but instead Rohit was made the skipper for the 2024 edition. Post the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he was the vice-captain, Pandya was expected to take over the captaincy again as Rohit announced retirement.

"Say Without Fear": India Great Blasts Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir On Hardik Pandya Captaincy Snub

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made its stance clear as Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir explained the decision to hand T20I captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav, over Hardik Panday. Agarkar, who is the chairman of selectors, explained that Hardik's fitness is one of the primary reasons behind the team's decision to move on to Suryakumar from the leadership perspective. India great Krisnamachari Srikkanth, however, isn't entirely convinced by the reasons given by Agarkar in the joint press conference with Gambhir, saying he doesn't feel Hardik was snubbed over fitness concerns.