NEW DELHI: When

Hardik Pandya

returned after India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, he didn’t anticipate losing his T20 captaincy to

Suryakumar Yadav

. Suryakumar was chosen as India’s T20I captain for the series against Sri Lanka, as chief selector Ajit Agarkar sought someone “likely to be available more often.”
Pandya, who was

Rohit Sharma

‘s deputy during India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph, has faced fitness issues, including an ankle injury during last year’s 50-over World Cup.

Despite his strong performance in the T20 World Cup—scoring 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57, along with 11 wickets in eight games at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64—Pandya was removed from the leadership role and not included in the ODI squad.

Former India pacer

Ashish Nehra

described the decision as a ‘surprise.’
“It is a decision of the coach and selection committee. It came as a big surprise, obviously. It can be because he is not that fit, he doesn’t play many matches, he plays just one format – this can be one of the reasons. But Hardik Pandya is a very important player in the Indian setup when you talk about white-ball cricket and when he is fit,” Nehra told TimesofIndia.com in an interview.

Suryakumar and Gambhir share a strong bond dating back to their days with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. Gambhir, who was the KKR captain, showed significant faith in Suryakumar, even making him the vice-captain at one point.
Is Gambhir viewing Suryakumar, who made a crucial catch in the T20 World Cup final, as a long-term T20I captaincy prospect?
“I am not sure whether he is a long-term or short-term prospect. It all depends on his captaincy, form, and most importantly, his equation with the coach and the selection committee. He is a captain in T20Is,” Nehra said.

“The main captain is Rohit Sharma, and

Shubman Gill

has been announced as his deputy. If you look at T20Is, India will play 5 or 6 T20Is this year. Surya has been part of the Indian side for a while. Rohit is there in the Indian side and will be leading in the other two formats – ODIs and Tests. Virat is there too. After winning the World Cup, this is a good transition in the Indian team. You have a lot of replacements,” he added.
“Surya played at KKR when GG was there. So, it’s not like a new coach has come in and Surya has become a new skipper. It’s because they know each other well. GG knows Surya’s capabilities and strengths as a player and captain. If we see other countries, they have had three different captains or two different captains for a long time. I am sure captain Surya will do well under coach GG,” Nehra concluded.
Watch India vs Sri Lanka on T20I and ODI series on Sony Sports Network