Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif has expressed his views on the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain instead of Hardik Pandya for the Sri Lanka series. Mohammad Kaif said that Hardik Pandya deserved to be India’s T20I captain, given his previous role as vice-captain during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya was initially seen as the likely successor to Rohit Sharma as India captain in T20Is following Sharma’s retirement after the 2024 World Cup. The talismanic all-rounder was vice-captain at the recent ICC T20 World Cup and has extensive experience as a captain at the helm of teams in the IPL and for the national team.
The 30-year-old cricketer is likely to be missing from the scheme of things due to his spate of injuries and workload. Pandya is not even the vice-captain of the Indian team for the three-match series in Sri Lanka. Opening batsman Shubman Gill is all set to be quickly promoted to the role of leader within the entire white-ball setup.
Hardik Pandya should have remained captain – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif highlighted Hardik Pandya’s successful leadership at the helm of the Gujarat Titans and his role as vice-captain in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kaif said that with a new coach, his plans could influence the decision.
“I think Hardik Pandya should have remained the captain. He led the Gujarat Titans for two years, reached the final 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. There is a new coach now, so will there be some kind of planning, I don’t know,” Kaif said in an interaction with IANS.
Hardik Pandya had a successful run as captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT), leading them to a title and a runners-up finish in 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, he moved to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the 2024 IPL season. He struggled both as a batsman and captain, with MI finishing at the bottom of the table.
Suryakumar Yadav is also doing quite well – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif acknowledged that Suryakumar Yadav is performing well and has been effective for the team. The former batsman said that he expected Hardik Pandya to be made captain and added that the all-rounder has not done anything wrong to be overlooked as captain.
“Surya is also doing quite well, he is not doing a bad job as such. He has also been playing for quite some time and is doing well for the team. I hope he leads the team well but I thought Hardik would be the captain. Gambhir has been the coach of some big teams and he also has knowledge of the game so he will think in a certain way. But I don’t think Hardik Pandya has done anything wrong to not be considered as captain,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir is planning to establish a core squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. The coaching staff and selectors are concerned about Hardik Pandya’s availability for future pre-World Cup series, while Suryakumar Yadav is a regular starter in the T20I squad.
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