BCCI, Gambhir Unsure About Hardik Pandya As India’s T20I Captain After Poor IPL 2024 With MI
Hardik Pandya in action for MI in IPL 2024 (X.com)
In a shocking turn of events, the BCCI announced on Thursday that they will have Suryakumar Yadav as their T20I captain to succeed Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format after leading India to a famous T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies.
Hardik Pandya, who was thought to be the frontrunner to hold the prestigious position, will play under SKY when the Men in Blue will be in action in Sri Lanka, beginning on July 27.
Why SKY, Not Hardik Pandya, Was Picked As India's T20I Captain?
Why did Hardik Pandya not become the chosen one, despite plenty of backing in the past few years for the responsibility? The reason has now been revealed.
As per multiple reports, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir monitored how the ace all-rounder performed as a leader when he captained Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024.
Even though Hardik saw a fair amount of success at Gujarat Titans in a short two-year stint, he put on a horrible show for Mumbai, who finished bottom of the points table, having lost 10 out of their 14 matches.
Hardik, in particular, should have taken the responsibility as a leader by making runs or taking wickets, which had a lot of impact on not getting the T20I captaincy duty.
With BCCI making Shubman Gill the vice-captain in both ODIs and T20Is, it is very unlikely that Hardik will get a full-time opportunity to become India’s captain in any format.