Former India cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels that little injustice has been done to Hardik Pandya as Suryakumar Yadav was made Rohit Sharma's successor as T20I captain instead of him. Bangar also said that Hardik would have led India in T20 World Cup 2024 had it not been for his injury and Rohit returning to the squad just one series before the marquee tournament.
Hardik lost his vice-captaincy as well. Shubman Gill was named Suryakumar's deputy for the T20I series against Sri Lanka starting later this month. Gill recently led a second-string Indian team to 4-1 win over Zimbabwe.
"It's not that Suryakumar Yadav has played less domestic cricket before playing international cricket. So he has a lot of experience, I think he has led Mumbai in domestic cricket as well and knows how to extract the best from the players," Bangar said on Star Sports’ show ‘Follow the Blues’.
"So there is nothing wrong in Suryakumar being made the captain. I fully believe that he will do a good job but I still feel a little injustice has been meted out to Hardik," he added.
Bangar baffled by selectors’ U-turn
The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach was surprised by the U-turn of selection committee as Pandya who led India in 16 T20Is did not get to don the captaincy hat.
"I am a bit surprised as far as Hardik not being the captain of the T20 team is concerned because even before the previous T20 World Cup it seemed like if Rohit hadn't become the captain and Hardik hadn't gotten injured at that time, Hardik only would have become the captain," the 51-year-old said.
"The Indian team had started going in that direction. The selectors had also found that path. I find this sudden U-turn slightly troubling. We have certainly read that the chairman of the selection committee and the coach have spoken to Hardik Pandya.”
Bangar concerned for ‘deeply hurt’ Pandya
Bangar also said that the 30-year-old Baroda all-rounder will be deeply hurt that he did not get his due.
"As a player, you are always understanding what the selectors are trying to do, what the new coach is trying to do but deep within himself, I am pretty sure that Hardik will be deeply hurt that he is not being considered for T20 captaincy," he concluded.
Hardik was named India’s T20I captain after he led Gujarat Titans (GT) to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 trophy. However, his return to Mumbai Indians (MI) as captain was lacklustre as the franchise finished at the bottom of the points table.
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