Suryakumar Yadav pipped Hardik Pandya to be named Indian skipper for the upcoming 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka as the BCCI announced the squad on Thursday. Although the ace all-rounder was Rohit Sharma’s deputy in the T20 World Cup, the selectors opted to keep Pandya away from the leadership responsibilities. On the other hand, young batter Shubman Gill was named the team’s vice-captain for the Lanka T20Is – a decision that has hinted at the beginning of the transition in the shortest format.
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Pandya falling behind the leadership race and Suryakumar getting the role came as a surprise. The all-rounder led the team following the 2022 World Cup in Australia in Rohit’s absence. In fact, several media reports even claimed that Pandya would be an automatic selection, especially after Rohit and Virat Kohli bowed out of the format post-T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean. But the squad announcement, after the meeting between the selection committee and newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, threw up a few surprises – the major one, of course, Pandya being left out of the leadership group.
While there’s a strong argument that Pandya deserved to be Rohit’s successor, CricketNext looks at the four possible reasons that went against the Baroda allrounder.
Work Load Management
The all-rounder played a key role in the T20 World Cup which India won by defeating South Africa in the final. Pandya ended the showpiece event with 144 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 151.57. Additionally, he took 11 wickets in eight games with best figures of 3/20. Possibly, the board wanted him to focus on his batting and bowling rather than getting burdened with the load of the captaincy. According to media reports, the BCCI and the selection committee see Pandya as an important aspect of the team but not in a leadership role.
Is Surya a better man-manager?
Suryakumar’s style of communication with the players is said to be pretty much similar to that of Rohit Sharma. According to Indian Express, his man-management skills in South Africa last year left a positive impression. He even tried convincing Ishan Kishan to stay back as the wicketkeeper-batter opted to go home mid-series citing mental fatigue. Also, Surya kept encouraging others to be prepared to capitalise on opportunities whenever they came.
Even as a player, Suryakumar has managed himself well on the performance front and happens to be the second-ranked T20I batter in the world. Given all these qualities, probably the management look at him as a viable leadership option.
The roadmap for 2026 T20 World Cup
Clearly, the BCCI wants to create a roadmap for the next T20 World Cup which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026. With Ajit Agarkar as the chairperson, the selection committee shall focus on preparing the team for the next two years, a process that got underway with the Zimbabwe tour earlier this month. Probably, the idea would be to get the best of Pandya as a player and that’s why he was included in the squad in the same capacity.
Pandya’s fitness record
Pandya’s body is prone to injuries with the first major setback coming in the 2018 Asia Cup when he suffered a stress fracture in his back. However, he recovered in time and featured in the IPL and the ODI World Cup the next year, in 2019. He even underwent surgery the same year but the recovery made him miss a lot of international fixtures. He didn’t bowl a single ball in back-to-back editions of the IPL, in 2020 & 2022, before returning fully fit in 2022 and turning up for Gujarat Titans.
Last year, he again suffered a freak injury during the ODI World Cup game against Bangladesh which ruled him out of the entire tournament and also the subsequent T20I series against Australia and the tour of South Africa.
Pandya’s dodgy fitness record could be the major concern as to why the selection committee felt that Surya was the better option going ahead.
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