Three Possible Reasons Why Hardik Pandya Was Not Named New T20I Captain of India?

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Hardik Pandya suffered a setback on Thursday when Suryakumar Yadav pipped him to become the new T20I captain of India. The star all-rounder was the vice-captain of the Rohit Sharma-led team at the T20 World Cup 2024 last month.

Hardik Pandya was also the one who was first appointed India's T20I captain when Rohit Sharma decided to take a break from T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2024.

Surakumar Yadav led the T20I side after Hardik got injured in the ODI World Cup 2023, before Rohit Sharma returned to take the throne ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Considering Hardik Pandya's stellar run in the ICC showpiece event which India won by beating South Africa, one would have imagined Hardik Pandya to become the successor of now retired Rohit Sharma in the shortest format of the series.

However, Suryakumar Yadav taking the baton ahead of him came as a surprise for many. In the article we have tried to decode three reasons why Hardik Pandya was not appointed the T20I captain of India.

His fitness and availability: Hardik Pandya has frequently been in and out of the team due to his fitness issues. There was also a time when the medium-pacer was not bowling at all.

After getting injured in the World Cup 2023, Hardik returned to action with the IPL 2024. He has once again opted out of the Sri Lanka ODIs due to personal reasons. The factors could have played a big role while mulling over the decision to appoint a new India T20I captain.

Hardik Pandya's image: The captain of the national team is the face of India, representing billions who love the sport. The 30-year-old is known to live a flamboyant life, and while there is nothing wrong with it - the negative publicities have also flown in with it.

Hardik Pandya has been in the news for the last few months because of vivid reasons. He first faced flakes for returning to Mumbai Indians and replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of the team, and then for his strained relationship with ex-wife Natasa Stankovic. The couple confirmed their divorce just moments after the India squad for the Sri Lanka tour was announced.

The Gujarat-born cricketer was recently seen drinking and partying with Bollywood celebrities at the wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. In short, Hardik is often in news for non-cricketing reasons and chances are that the dressing room atmosphere can be disrupted with him at the helm.

Hardik Pandya's communication and behaviour with his teammate could also be a point. Him questioning Tilak Varma's match-awareness despite him top-scoring in one of Mumbai Indians' defeat in IPL 2024, his viral gesture towards senior Mohammed Shami while playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) together, and other such incidents could have forced the BCCI to name a more approachable and friendly Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain of India.

There is a possibility that former India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid recommended Suryakumar Yadav for the position for his ability to gel nicely with all the players in the team.

Gautam Gambhir factor: The newly-appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team could also have played his role. Suryakumar Yadav has played at KKR under Gambhir's captaincy in the past. A cool and calm Suryakumar can have a more successful partnership with a strong-headed Gambhir.

The other reason could be Gambhir wanting Hardik to also play Test cricket. If Hardik Pandya returns to Test cricket under Gambhir, there is a possibility of him being rested from a bunch of T20I matches. Suryakumar Yadav is a T20I specialist, and so handing over the captaincy makes sense.