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Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explains the reason behind Hardik Pandya not being picked as India’s T20 captain
Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar has revealed the reason as to why allrounder Hardik Pandya was overlooked for India’s T20I captaincy and Suryakumar Yadav was handed reins. India are set to tour Sri Lanka for the white-ball series and Suryakumar Yadav will be leading India in T20Is while Rohit Sharma will captain the team in ODIs.
The decision to hand Suryakumar Yadav India’s T20I captaincy came in the wake of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20 international at the end of T20I World Cup 2024, where India emerged victorious with title. Agarkar laid out some of the reasons behind not choosing Hardik Pandya as skipper.
"Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the group over the last 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. One of the main issues, obviously, was that you want the captain who is likely to play all matches,” Agarkar said during the press conference.
"We think he's a deserving candidate and hopefully we'll see over time how he develops into the role. But in regards to Hardik, he's still a very important player for us and that's what we want him to be that player that he can be because those sorts of skill sets are very difficult to find what he has," Agarkar said.
"Fitness, obviously, has been a challenge for him over the last few years and then it becomes a little bit more difficult for him and even as selectors," he said.
"We're trying to now, we've got a bit more time till the next T20 World Cup when we can look at a few things. It's not rushed at the moment. We want him to be, you know, as I said, he's an important player for us and hopefully his performances are more important… that was the thought behind it. The fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who's likely to be available more often than not," Agarkar said.
India will play their first T20I match against Sri Lanka on July 27 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. Hardik Pandya has, however, been included into India’s squad for T20Is.
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