Yuzvendra Chahal bagged a fifer in County Championship© X (Twitter)

File photo of Suryakumar Yadav

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.

Amid the ongoing debate, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has lashed out at the Indian selectors, saying that fitness is just an excuse for not making Hardik the captain.

“No, here they (the claims) should just hand him a certificate saying he isn’t fit and there are concerns about his fitness. There are plenty of players who weren’t super fit but still became great captains. So, I think it was just an excuse. Because if Surya wasn’t around, then Rishabh (Pant) would have been the captain since you have to look at the future,” Latif said on his YouTube channel.

The first T20I of the three-match series will begin on July 27 in Pallekele, followed by matches on July 28 and 30 at the same venue.

India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

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.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that the selectors would’ve gotten feedback from the dressing room, based on this year’s Indian Premier League, where Hardik Pandya‘s Mumbai Indians finished last.

“I think they have gone from the feedback of the dressing room. It must have probably been from the IPL. Fitness is something that I will not agree. He played the entire IPL. He also bowled. Yes, he might not have done well (in the IPL). That’s another issue. Mumbai Indians didn’t qualify. At the World Cup, he was the vice-captain and he played well. So, fitness is something that I won’t agree with,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

While Srikkanth agrees that Surya has the required qualities to become a good captain, fitness can’t be the reason behind Hardik not being considered for the role.

“Feedback from the dressing room? I am not able to understand that. Yes, Suryakumar has the qualities to be captain. I agree to that. He could prove to be a very good captain. But the reasons for dropping Hardik Pandya as captain are beating around the bush in terms of the reasoning.”

“Suryakumar is a fantastic person. I like him. So is Hardik. But the reasons that they are giving, they could have said it in a straightforward manner ‘we are dropping Hardik Pandya as captain, we want to move forward. We are looking at Suryakumar as a long term’. Make it clear. Say it without fear.”

“I have also been chairman. I have picked players, dropped players and faced a lot of criticism. I am not saying I was God, I have also made mistakes. But you have to give a good explanation. I am not convinced by the reasoning,” he asserted.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya found the leadership responsibility in the shortest format, which seemed to be his after Rohit Sharma‘s retirement, taken away from him after Gautam Gambhir was hired as the team’s new head coach. Gambhir, in consultation with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, handed the captaincy responsibility to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, while Shubman Gill was made his deputy. Reflecting on the decision, Ashish Nehra, the man who coached Hardik during his role as captain at Gujarat Titans, isn’t surprised to see this move by the Indian team management.

Hardik and Nehra had a successful stint at Gujarat Titans as captain-coach, which saw the team reach two Indian Premier League finals in two years, winning one. But, Nehra feels Gambhir has some other ideas with respect to the way he plans to run the Indian team going forward, and Hardik doesn’t come into those plans as a captain or vice-captain.

“No, I am not surprised. When it comes to cricket, these things keep happening. Yes, Hardik Pandya was vice-captain in the World Cup, but at the same time, there is a new coach who has come in. Every coach and every captain have different thoughts. At this time, his (Gambhir’s) ideas are toward that direction,” Nehra told Sports Tak.

In the press conference before Team India flight to Sri Lanka, Agarkar cited fitness as the primary reason behind the decision to deny T20I captaincy to Hardik. Nehra too was in agreement with the chief selector on the topic.

“I think Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have made it clear, that’s good. He is playing one format, 50-over also, he is playing less. Hardik Pandya, in white-ball cricket, will remain a very, very important player for Indian cricket. When you have him, you can have 4 fast bowlers, he brings in a different balance to the side and keep in mind, that there’s no impact player in international cricket.

“Not just Hardik Pandya, but when you have so many matches, there will be changes. Even Rishabh Pant has captained, KL Rahul has captained,” he added.

Nehra was also pleased to see Shubman Gill being given the role of vice-captain in both T20Is and ODIs, but the former India pacer also admitted that the batter is still a ‘work in progress’ as a leader.

“They have made Shubman Gill in not just one format, but in all three formats. That means you are looking ahead.

“Shubman Gill is a work in progress. He is 24-25 years old now. He will get better as we go ahead. He has the desire to play all 3 formats, he has the heart to learn. He is not someone who thinks that whatever he is doing is right. He is not that kind of guy. Be it a youngster or an experienced player, he likes to have a discussion and learn,” he said.

New Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that the retirement of stalwarts is a natural thing, and that the team will have to adapt to transition phases. Gambhir’s arrival as coach was preceded by the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from T20Is, following India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Asked whether Gambhir instead encouraged players to be versatile enough for different formats, and emphasised on being consistent in their selection across formats.

“Eventually going forward these things happen. But can’t say right now that there are going to be three different teams,” said Gambhir, speaking in a press conference for the first time since being appointed as India’s head coach.

“I think we will go through a transition in T20s, because Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma) and Ravindra (Jadeja) are not there,” he said.

“In 50 overs and Test cricket, the more consistent we can be the better. The more players that can play both formats, the better for the team,” said Gambhir.

Chief selector Agarkar backed up Gambhir’s statement: “You don’t decide on three different teams.”

“Just to try and find the best balance depending on the format you’re player, be it the same players or different. Nothing is pre-decided. Eventually you try and pick the best 15,” stated Agarkar.

The speculation about three different teams comes after notable differences in the T20I and ODI squads picked for India’s tour to Sri Lanka. In particular, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was not included in the ODI setup.

No Surya in ODIs

Agarkar admitted that Suryakumar Yadav was not even discussed for ODIs, with the return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.

“Shreyas is back, KL is back, they had great World Cups. Rishabh is back as well. So there is some real quality through the middle order,” Agarkar said.

“At this point, Surya is a T20 player,” Agarkar said firmly.

India’s 3-match T20I and 3-match ODI tour to Sri Lanka begins from July 27.

Suryakumar Yadav was the main talking point when India’s squad for the Sri Lanka Tour was announced. The star batter was named the captain ahead of India’s T20 World Cup vice-captain Hardik Pandya. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday elaborated on the plan behind making Yadav the skipper of the T20I team, and not Pandya. “You (would) want a captain that’s going to be more likely to play all the games. Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot.He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world,” Agarkar elaborated before the team’s departure for Sri Lanka. 

He also made it clear that Yadav is currently being considered for only the shortest format. 

“No we haven’t discussed Surya at this point in ODIs. Shreyas (Iyer) is back, KL (Rahul) is back, they’ve had a great (ODI) World Cup, Rishabh (Pant) is back as well so there is some real quality through that middle order. At this point, Surya is a T20I player,” said BCCI chief selector Agarkar.

While Yadav is among the top-ranked T20I batters, his form in ODIs has never been consistent. In 37 matches, he scored 773 runs at an average of 25.76. He once got out for three straight ducks in ODIs against Australia. 

While the selection of Suryakumar as captain of the T20I team seems to be a course correction by the selection committee led by Agarkar, the former India pacer also said they have not closed the door on anyone and players that do well in the domestic circuit can back in their previous roles.

Asked about players like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad who have been dropped for the Sri Lanka tour despite being part of the previous series, Agarkar said the players picked ahead of them too deserved their place in the squad.

“I mean, every player who’s left out feels hard done by. Our challenge is to pick only 15 to try and get the best balance. So someone’s likely to miss out sometimes. They’ve had some recent performances in recent times, but you got to see who’s picked ahead of them. I mean, are those guys not deserving of their place?

“If that’s the thing, then there are things to discuss. But at this stage, I mean, we had an opportunity to give some of those guys, you know, a go in the Zimbabwe series, which was good. So we have enough depth. If tomorrow there’s loss of form from the players that are playing or there are injuries it’s tough,” said Agarkar.

With IANS inputs

Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir in press conference© PTI

India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have let in an insight into why Hardik Pandya has not been given a leadership role in the India squad for the upcoming T20I and ODI tour to Sri Lanka. The most notable headline of Gambhir’s first India squad was that Suryakumar Yadav had been promoted to captaincy of the team in shortest format, while Hardik Pandya was not even made the vice-captain in any format. Agarkar hinted that Pandya’s demotion was to do with his fitness concerns.

“As far as Hardik is concerned, fitness has been something that he’s struggled with. As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more,” said Agarkar, as him and Gambhir appeared in a press conference, the latter’s first as India head coach.

Agarkar emphasised that Hardik remains a key player for Team India, with his all-round skillset.

“He (Pandya) is still a very important player. And that’s what we want him to be, those skillsets are hard to find,” added Agarkar.

Pandya played a starring role in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory in June, with 144 runs with the bat and 11 wickets with the ball in 8 games. However, Agarkar has reasoned that Suryakumar Yadav is the right choice for captaincy.

“He (Suryakumar Yadav) is a deserving candidate. He has been a great batter for us. We feel that Surya has all the necessary qualities to be a good captain,” said Agarkar.

While Suryakumar Yadav has led India in T20Is in the past, his promotion to the role of captain should not come as a surprise after Gambhir’s appointment. After all, Gambhir had made him his deputy at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when Suryakumar was just 24 years old.

India squads for Sri Lanka tour:

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Gautam Gambhir Press Conference: India head coach gives insights into the future© BCCI/Sportzpics