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Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that Suryakumar Yadav being appointed as the new T20I captain is unfair to Hardik Pandya. Newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir has already caused a stir ahead of his maiden series in charge of the Men in Blue by signing off on the controversial decision.
Hardik was touted as a natural successor to Rohit Sharma following the latter's retirement from the format after the 2024 T20 World Cup. The all-rounder also has significant captaincy experience, leading in the IPL for the last three seasons and also being in charge of the national team during Rohit Sharma's absence after the 2022 T20 World Cup.
However, Hardik Pandya's workload and string of injuries worked against his favor, as Suryakumar Yadav pipped him for the role of T20I skipper. The all-rounder is not even vice-captain of the side, with Shubman Gill being fast-tracked into the leadership role within the entire white-ball setup.
"I think that Hardik Pandya should have remained the captain. He led the Gujarat Titans for two years, made it to the finals on both occasions, and won a title. Hardik was already leading the T20I team, he was the vice-captain in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Now there's a new coach, so there will be some kind of planning, I don't know," Kaif said in an interaction with IANS.
"Surya is also doing quite well, he is not doing a bad job as such. He has also been playing for quite a while now and doing well for the team. I expect him to lead the team well, but I thought Hardik will be the captain. Gambhir has been the coach of some great teams and he has knowledge of the game as well, so he will be thinking in a certain way. But, I don't think that Hardik Pandya has done anything wrong to be not considered as captain," he added.
Hardik Pandya will play the T20I series as a player, but will not play the subsequent ODI reasons due to personal reasons.
"I think he was entitled to the captaincy" - Mohammad Kaif on Hardik Pandya
Kaif highlighted how Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their first-ever season in 2022. Given that it was Hardik's first-ever leadership assignment at the highest level, and the fact that the franchise made some questionable calls during the mega auction, not many had GT as favorites to win the title.
However, GT ended up having one of the most dominant seasons, losing only three matches en route to the title.
"He has experience, has captained in the IPL; and leading a new team (Gujarat Titans) to trophy, with fresh and young faces, is a huge thing. He has made the Titans win by working from zero in the IPL...I think he was entitled to the captaincy," Kaif concluded.
Team India's tour of Sri Lanka begins from July 27 onwards and comprises three ODIs and as many T20Is.
