Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar question the decision to alter Hardik Pandya’s T20I captaincy, stating he hasn’t done anything wrong. Explore their perspectives.
Given his past experience of leading a T20 team, a former India cricketer believed that Hardik Pandya should have been given the chance to be captain and was disappointed that selectors did not back him.
resignation. On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its squad for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka starting on July 27, coinciding with Gautam Gambhir’s new head coach role debut. The most significant selection choice made was appointing Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain instead of Hardik Pandya, who previously appeared to be a top candidate following Rohit Sharma’s resignation from the position.
After leading the Indian team to victory in the T20 World Cup on June 29th, it was a clear choice for Hardik to take charge as captain of the T20I format following Rohit’s departure. Nonetheless, despite his position as vice-captain and success in prior tournaments, both Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar believed Suryakumar would be more fitting as captain with an eye towards India co-hosting the 2026 T20 World Cup alongside Sri Lanka.
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Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was dissatisfied with the decision, as he believed that Hardik should have been supported by Indian team management for the captaincy role. This is due to his prior experience of leading a T20 squad in the past and successful leadership credentials in IPL – including taking Gujarat Titans all the way to back-to-back finals and winning one championship. Therefore, according to Kaif’s perspective, it would only be fair if Hardik were rewarded for his accomplishments instead of being overlooked for this coveted position.
Hardik successfully led the Gujarat Titans to reach the final in their maiden year under his captaincy, and he also possesses experience leading the T20I side. Additionally, during the T20 World Cup, Hardik served as vice-captain. With a new coach on board comes fresh strategies and plans for success. Surya is an accomplished player with years of experience who ranks first among all T20 players; I believe that he will perform well as captain but personally feel they should have supported Hardik instead,” said Kaif exclusively to IANS.
Kaif further stated that Gambhir, who is an experienced captain and coach with a deep understanding of cricket, believes that Hardik has not done anything to warrant being denied the captaincy.
Hardik, who captained Mumbai Indians in a disappointing 2024 season of IPL, also served as the captain for India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is.
Having captained in the IPL and successfully led a new team (Gujarat Titans) to victory with an injection of fresh, young talent is testament to his experience. Working from Ground Zero, he has tirelessly driven the Titans towards success and I believe this fully justifies him being appointed captaincy. Only time will tell how he performs but for now, let’s wait patiently and see,” said the individual speaking.
