In a shocking turnoff event, Surya kumar Yadav – Sky has been appointed the Team India T20 Captain for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.

The decision was taken out of the blue as Hardik Pandya was being touted to be the next T20 captain having been the vice-captain for Team India in the just concluded ICC T20 World Cup.
The royal snub comes as a big surprise after Hardik played an important role in the World Cup winning team.

While many will argue that no player is indispensable and captaincy is also not to be taken for granted.
There would have been serious deliberation before naming a new captain with Rohit Sharma already announcing his retirement from the shortest form of the game.

After the T20 World Cup Championship, and with Gautam Gambir taking over the mantle as Head coach, the selectors, and senior players would have been involved in the decision to give Surya kumar the captaincy in the new look India T20 squad.

Why was Hardik snubbed? Was Surya the better choice?

Hardik Pandya is one of a kind cricketer for team India who can both bat and bowl. This makes him a must-have player in the team.
Hardik Pandya’s reputation as a fragile cricketer in terms of injuries could have been one of the reasons that would have gone against the all-rounder.
His constant breakdowns and not being available for longer formats must have not given the confidence as a person who could lead the side consistently.
When Hardik went down with an ankle sprain in the ODI World Cup in the initial phase of the tournament, it put Team India in a very vulnerable position.
Brilliant captaincy and team effort helped Team India to punch above their weight and reach the finals of the tournament.

Post the ODI World Cup

Hardik Pandya chose to keep himself away from cricket for a considerable period to nurse his injury.
He also did not attend the mandatory rehabilitation camp in NCA for his recovery. This decision did err a few seniors and former players along with BCCI.
Another red flag was the reluctance to play all games in the ODI even after being considered as stand-in captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence.
Hardik Pandya chose to play only the T20 Tournaments, but chose to sit out for selection in ODI tournaments.

Hardik was not confident to bowl the entire 10 overs in an ODI game with his fragile body and chose to be the 5th or 6th bowler in a T20 game only.
Cricket Pandits believed that Hardik as a pure batsman did not guarantee a place in the playing eleven of an ODI Team.

This prompted BCCI and Team India to go back to Rohit Sharma as Captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup after his brilliant showing in the ODI World Cup.
Rohit thus again became India’s all-format captain.

In the 2024 IPL, Hardik Pandya’s appointment as Mumbai Indians captain with Rohit Sharma in the playing eleven proved to be a hugely unpopular call and was a recipe for disaster. Mumbai Indians ended up with the wooden spoon in the 2024 IPL edition.

Hardik Pandy may have lacked a sound tactical approach to captaincy

During the IPL, Hardik Pandya’s on-field decisions were criticized by many and his openly criticizing few performing players in the team did not go down well with many seniors and cricket fans.

There seemed to be a complete breakdown in the man-management skills of the all-rounder.
This also could have dented Hardik Pandya’s chances of leading the National Side.

Positives why Surya kumar Yadav was selected?

Fitness

The Selectors along with the new Coach Gautam Gambir were confident that unlike Hardik, Surya would be available for majority of the games to be played.

Good cricketing brain

Having been in the leadership group for Mumbai Indians and having captained the Mumbai Ranji Team, Suryakumar brings in an astute cricketing brain which is needed in the modern T20 game.

Well respected amongst players

Surya kumar Yadav is a well-respected player in the Mumbai Indians squad and the Indian National team. He has always been a team player and very well liked in the team.
In his captaincy, there has never been any angry outburst on the field or off the field.
The Outgoing captain in the T20 format, Rohit Sharma also has lot of faith and confidence in Mr. 360 and Surya too would have learnt a lot under Rohit’s captaincy for a long time.

Sky and Shubman Gill Combo

While Surya kumar is being considered as a T20 specialist, it is clear that Surya’s assignment is clear and targeted till the next World T20 tournament to be held in India. While Shubman Gill is being looked at a future leadership role for all three formats.

Feedback from Dressing Room

Rahul Dravid and the support staff took more than a year and gauged both Surya kumar and Hardik Pandya in leadership role.
When the selectors were asked on their rational to look at Sky as the next captain, they specifically mentioned that the decision was taken only after taking feedbacks from the outgoing coach, support staff and senior players in the squad. A scenario similar to MS Dhoni’s appointment as the captain to lead Team India in the inaugural 2007 ICC T20 World Cup.

Summary

Hardik Pandya has been included in the T20I squad but rested for the ODIs. It is clear that Hardik Pandya’s fitness to consistently bowl 10 overs in ODI tournaments has gone against him. Chief selector of the Indian men’s cricket team Ajit Agarkar revealed that fitness was a major criterion for their reason to pick Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya.

While he would have lost out on the race for captaincy, the selectors are wanting to look at Hardik in the team more as an important allrounder. Constant breaks in between to nurse and maintain full fitness for Hardik Pandya will be beneficial for Indian Cricket in the long run.