BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Monday addressed naming Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain of the Indian T20I team ahead of Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup winning squad in Barbados.
After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20I following India's World Cup win last month, the need for a replacement arose. Hardik Pandya was primed to take over based on him being the deputy at the T20 World Cup, apart from his experience leading India in three ODIs, 16 T20Is and captaining in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, his fitness struggles proved to a major concern and the reason behind the selection committee and new head coach Gautam Gambhir deciding finally to hand the reins to Suryakumar Yadav.
Ahead of team India's departure for the tour of Sri Lanka, Agarkar said, "Hardik is a very important player. He has the skillsets which are very difficult to find. Fitness has been a challenge for him in the last two years. It becomes tough as coach and selector. Until the next World Cup in 2026, we want to look at a few things. That was the main challenge. That was the thought behind it. We wanted the one who is available all the time.”
Hardik Pandya suffered an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup in October, last year which sidelined him for the remainder of the tournament. He was subsequently out of action until the start of IPL 2024, in which he captained Mumbai Indians. He has featured in just 46 of India's 79 T20Is since the start of 2022.
On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has captained the Mumbai state team in domestic cricket. He led India in two consecutive T20I series after the ODI World Cup, winning 4-1 against Australia and a 1-1 series draw against South Africa.
His appointment was based on the feedbacks from the rest of the players, stated Agarkar as he called him "one of the most deserving candidates".
He said, "Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain, because he is one of the most deserving candidates. We have been getting the feedbacks from the dressing room. He has got great cricket brain, he is one of the best T20 batters in the world, and the one who is likely to play all the games. Surya has got the necessary quality that you need to succeed as a captain."
Suryakumar Yadav will lead India against Sri Lanka in his first outing as an official T20I captain. India will play three T20Is between July 27 and 30. This will also be new India team coach Gautam Gambhir's first assignment.
Hardik Pandya has been included in the squad, however, he has also been removed from vice-captaincy with the role going to Shubman Gill, who recently led India to a 4-1 series win against Zimbabwe earlier this month.
