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'Am Not Surprised,' Gujarat Titans' IPL Coach Supports Gambhir In Pandya's Captaincy Snub

Debashis Sarangi

Surya pipped Pandya in T20I captaincy race [X]Surya pipped Pandya in T20I captaincy race [X]

Gujarat Titans' IPL head coach Ashish Nehra isn't surprised by Hardik Pandya's India captaincy snub. Notably, Pandya served as India's vice-captain in the recently-held T20 World Cup and was supposed to succeed Rohit Sharma as the skipper after the latter's T20I retirement. 

However, in a surprising move, the Indian management appointed Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain, with Gautam Gambhir succeeding Rahul Dravid as the head coach. 


'I am not surprised' - Nehra on Pandya's captaincy snub

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans' head coach Ashish Nehra remains unperturbed by Pandya's captaincy snub. 

Speaking to SportsTak, Nehra revealed that such things happen in cricket as each coach comes up with his unique ideas regarding leadership. 

"No, I am not surprised. When it comes to cricket, these things keep happening. Yes, Hardik Pandya was vice-captain in the World Cup, but at the same time, there is a new coach who has come in. Every coach and every captain have different thoughts. At this time, his (Gambhir's) ideas are toward that direction," Nehra said. 

He further lauded Gambhir and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, for maintaining clarity during the transition. 

"I think Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have made it clear, that's good. He is playing one format, 50-over also, he is playing less. Hardik Pandya, in white-ball cricket, will remain a very, very important player for Indian cricket," he added. 

Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India are gearing up to face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series starting later this month. 

Despite withdrawing from the ODIs, Pandya remains a vital cog in India's T20I team for the tour.