'Every Coach & Captain Have Different Thoughts' - Ashish Nehra Not Surprised by Hardik Pandya Captaincy Snub

Gujarat Titans head coach and former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has said he is not surprised by the Indian team management's decision to snub Hardik Pandya from leadership role for the upcoming series in Sri Lanka.

Following skipper Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20Is, his deputy at the T20 World Cup, Pandya was expected to take over the reins. But, after much speculation on who would lead India in the shortest format, the suspense finally ended last week when the squad for the tour to Sri Lanka was announced.

Star batter Suryakumar Yadav was appointed the captain of the Indian T20I team, while Pandya was also removed from his vice captaincy role as Gautam Gambhir takes charge in his first assignment as head coach of the national side.

In a interview with SportsTak, Nehra, who was the coach when Pandya led at Gujarat Titans in IPL, has said the all-rounder's captaincy snub is not surprising as he believes "every coach and captain have different thoughts".

"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 told SportsTak.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had made it clear during the press conference, stating that the team management were looking at someone who would be available all the time for the leadership role and pointed out how Pandya has struggled with fitness in the recent years.

Nehra was happy that selection committee chief Agarkar and head coach Gambhir have been clear and picked Pandya in just one format, but believes the all-rounder will be a very important player in white-ball cricket, including T20 and ODIs.

"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," Nehara added.

"When you have him, you can have 4 fast bowlers, he brings in a different balance to the side and keep in mind, that there's no impact player in international cricket."

Nehra also pointed out the fact that the team management have not just looked away from Pandya, they have also not considered Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the captaincy roles.

"Not just Hardik Pandya, but when you have so many matches, there will be changes. Even Rishabh Pant has captained, KL Rahul has captained," Nehra said.

Pandya also lost out on the vice captaincy role to his successor at Gujarat Titans, Shubman Gill, who was named the deputy in both the T20I and ODI teams for the tour to Sri Lanka.

Nehra backed the team management's call to appoint Gill as the vice captain, saying that the current GT skipper, who wants to play in all three formats, is a good and eager learner.

"They have made Shubman Gill in not just one format, but in all three formats. That means you are looking ahead. Shubman Gill is a work in progress. He is 24-25 years old now. He will get better as we go ahead," Nehra said.

"He has the desire to play all 3 formats, he has the heart to learn. He is not someone who thinks that whatever he is doing is right. He is not that kind of guy. Be it a youngster or an experienced player, he likes to have a discussion and learn."