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India’s newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir along with his coaching staff and players, convened at the Mumbai airport for his first assignment on the island nation. Hardik Pandya put an end to speculations about any rift with captain Suryakumar Yadav through a touching gesture towards his Mumbai Indians teammate by giving him a hug.
During the T20 World Cup 2024, Pandya held the position of vice-captain, and following Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20Is, the all-rounder was widely seen as the frontrunner to assume leadership of the team. However, Suryakumar Yadav was named Rohit’s successor and Hardik was removed as vice-captain to make way for Shubman Gill.
The heartwarming moment captured in a video was shared by BCCI on their official Twitter handle.
Before they departed for Sri Lanka, Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar also addressed the media, providing insights into the decision-making process behind appointing Suryakumar as captain over Pandya, despite the latter's experience in the position.
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Why Suryakumar was preferred over Hardik
Agarkar expressed confidence in Suryakumar’s ability to lead the team effectively, while also acknowledging Pandya's importance and contributions to the team's success. One of the main decisions behind Hardik not getting the captaincy was his injury-proneness.
“Hardik is always an important player for us. Those skill sets are hard to find. Fitness has been a challenge with him. Hopefully, his performances are more important than anything else. We want someone who is likely to be available more often than not. Saying all that, Surya has got all the necessary qualities to be the captain,” Agarkar said told the reporters in Mumbai.
India are scheduled to play three T20Is and as many ODI series in Sri Lanka starting from July 27. Suryakumar will lead the T20I side whereas Rohit Sharma will lead the team in ODIs. All the T20Is will be played at Pallekele International Stadium.
Earlier, Suryakumar led India in T20Is when Hardik was out injured. Out of seven games, he played as captain, India won five.
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