Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI’s selection committee head, revealed the reasons behind Suryakumar Yadav’s appointment as the new captain of the India T20I team, as opposed to Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of India in the T20 format.
Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the T20 format created a need for a new captain for India in T20Is. Being Rohit’s deputy at the T20 World Cup 2024, Hardik was well-suited to assume leadership roles because he has led India in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and sixteen Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in addition to his Indian Premier League (IPL) captaincy stints with the Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. Agarkar did, however, disclose that the selection committee’s main concern—fitness—was the reason Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach of India, wanted to consider other options.
Talking about Hardik Pandya before India departs for Sri Lanka’s tour, Agarkar said, “Hardik is a very important player. He has the skillsets which are very difficult to find. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last two years. It becomes tough as coach and selector. Until the next World Cup in 2026, we want to look at a few things. That was the main challenge. That was the thought behind it. We wanted the one who is available all the time.”
Hardik’s injury record is not so decent; previously, in October of last year, Hardik sustained an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup. This injury kept him out of play until the beginning of the 2024 Indian Premier League. He made a comeback from that injury in last year’s IPL as captain of the Mumbai Indians. His total number of T20I appearances since the beginning of 2022 is merely 46.
On the other hand, Suryakumar made himself available for selection in India’s every tour and tournament since the ODI World Cup last year. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, he has captained India in two bilateral series and led India to back-to-back T20I series victories, first defeating Australia 4-1 at home and then drawing 1-1 in South Africa.
Agarkar believed Suryakumar’s appointment was based on input from the rest of the Indian players, describing him as “one of the most deserving candidates.”
“Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain because he is one of the most deserving candidates. We have been getting the feedbacks from the dressing room. He has got great cricket brain, he is one of the best T20 batters in the world, and the one who is likely to play all the games. Surya has got the necessary quality that you need to succeed as a captain.” Agarkar stated this while giving his views on Surya’s appointment as India’s new T20 captain.
Suryakumar’s first task as the Indian team’s official T20I captain will be leading the squad on a three-T20I match trip to Sri Lanka from July 27 to July 30. This tour will be Gambhir’s first task as well, in the role of India’s head coach, while Shubman Gill, who was captain of the Indian team that defeated Zimbabwe 4-1 earlier this month, has been selected as vice-captain for this series.
