As India’s captaincy in the shortest format remains the biggest talking point, the well-wishers of Indian cricket wonder how the change in leadership could impact the relationship between Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Though the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that Hardik was spoken to before the T20I captaincy was handed over to Suryakumar, concerns still remain over the leadership dynamics in the team. However, Hardik put all such talks to bed with his big gesture as the two left for Sri Lanka for a white-ball series.
In a video shared by the BCCI, Hardik gave Surya a hug as the two met before taking the flight to Sri Lanka.
Mumbai to Pallekele via Colombo ✈️ 🚌#TeamIndia have reached Sri Lanka 🇱🇰#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/ffDYJOV7wm
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 22, 2024
Earlier, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke to the media at a joint press conference, during which the topic of the T20I captaincy controversy was also brought up.
hardik hugging suryakumar yadav pure hug not forced hug that time to rohit muy man is sequare person 🥵❤️ pic.twitter.com/X1N6kBONTR
— 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 (@ImAlbert_45) July 23, 2024
“Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world,” Agarkar said during the press conference.
“You (would) want a captain that’s going to be more likely to play all the games. We think he’s a deserving candidate and hopefully we’ll see over time how he develops into the role.”
The chairman of selectors said they wanted a captain with a proven fitness record and not someone who was prone to injuries as Pandya is believed to be.
Agarkar also confirmed that Hardik remains a crucial part of the Indian team in the white-ball circuit.
“But in regards to Hardik (Pandya), he’s still a very important player for us and that’s what we want him to be that player that he can be because those sorts of skill sets are very difficult to find what he has,” Agarkar said.
“We’re trying to now, we’ve got a bit more time till the next T20 World Cup when we can look at a few things. It’s not rushed at the moment.”
“We want him to be, you know, as I said, he’s an important player for us, and hopefully, his performances are more important – that was the thought behind it. The fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who’s likely to be available more often than not,” Agarkar said.
