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BCCI shook everyone after announcing their decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain instead of Hardik Pandya. This was extremely surprising as the all-rounder was given the responsibility of vice-captain of the Indian team which came out victorious in the recently concluded edition of the T20 World Cup 2024. Everyone was expecting him to be Rohit Sharma's successor in the shortest format of the game in International cricket but that was not the case. Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra believes that it was not that surprising as things like these happen in cricket. He said a new thought process has come as there is a new head coach in the team with Gautam Gambhir. He also highlighted the importance of fitness, which was also addressed by the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Ashish Nehra speaks on Hardik Pandya's snub has T20I captain
Ashish Nehra who has worked as the coach with Hardik Pandya for two years during the current MI captain's tenure with Gujarat Titans talked about Hardik Pandya being snubbed as the T20I captain. His remarks showed that the former player was able to understand BCCI's decision and the reason behind it.
“It's not surprising that when it comes to cricket, these things happen. It's a bit surprising that Hardik Pandya, as you said, he was the vice-captain in the World Cup. But at the same time, a new coach has come. A new thought has come. So every coach, each captain has a different thought. So at this time, their thought is on that side. Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir said a couple of days ago, if I am not mistaken talked about the fitness. He is not playing all formats, I mean, he is playing only one format, he even doesn't play the 50-over format that much. So it is difficult for Hardik Pandya or any coach or captain. I will just say that the thoughts are different,” Ashish Nehra said in an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak which was arranged by Sony Sports Network.
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“Harik Pandey is a very important player for Indian cricket. Whether he plays twice or not, he is the fourth fast bowler. He brings a different balance because there is no impact player rule. Harik Pandya is not the only one. He is the one who plays more matches and cricket. Especially in the white ball cricket, Rishabh Pant has also been the captain. KL Rahul has also been the captain. So if there are more matches and injuries, there will be many changes. And there are more formats, you will see things like this. But the best thing you will see is that you have announced to Shubman Gill in three formats of vice-captain. So you are planning and you are looking ahead with him,” he added.
Ajit Agarkar reveals reason behind appointing Surya as T20I captain
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained their decision to appoint Surya as T20I captain instead of Hardik. Agarkar said that Hardik’s fitness has been a concern and it led to the decision.
"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. You (would) want a captain that's going to be more likely to play all the games. We think he's a deserving candidate and hopefully we'll see over time how he develops into the role" Agarkar said during the joint press conference.
But in regards to Hardik (Pandya), 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. 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. 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 added.
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