Hardik Pandya’s failure to get the India T20I captaincy has caused quite a stir in the cricket fraternity. The Indian all-rounder was the favourite to take over the captaincy following the retirement of Rohit Sharma.

Rohit retired from the shortest format of the game last month after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain during the competition and was one of the best performers. He performed well with bat and ball as India ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.

With the bat, he scored 144 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of over 151. He was equally effective with the ball as well. In 8 games, Hardik Pandya took 11 wickets, including the massive wickets of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in the final.

Following his impressive performances in the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya became the cynosure of the nation and was expected to replace Rohit as the T20I captain. However, the selectors and the new team management decided to spring a surprise by naming Suryakumar Yadav as the captain.

Russel Arnold on the decision not to get Hardik Pandya T20I captaincy:

Following Hardik Pandya’s failure to secure the T20I captaincy, former Sri Lanka star Russel Arnold believes that the Indian star’s poor performance as captain in this year’s IPL played a major role in the selectors’ decision. After two very successful stints as captain of Gujarat Titans in the last two years, Hardik Pandya has returned to Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024.

He replaced Rohit as captain but failed to justify the decision. He not only struggled as a captain but also as an all-rounder. Mumbai Indians looked like a disjointed unit and eventually finished last in the points table with just 4 wins from 14 matches. Russel Arnold said Pandya struggled to earn the respect of his teammates and that might have prompted the BCCI to opt for a different choice as India captain.

“Well, they are both exceptional players. They bring different things to the table. Suryakumar Yadav is probably one of the best T20 batsmen and the way he plays, he obviously has to see and read the game like no one else. Hardik has shown that as well.

“But I think considering how the IPL went and the fact that Hardik couldn’t command the respect of everyone around him, that might have prompted BCCI to look in a different direction,” Arnold told Sports Tak.

“It’s about everyone committing and staying calm and happy so that you can row in one direction. I’m not saying that wouldn’t have happened with Hardik, but I guess at this particular time, it was a good opportunity and it’s a great opportunity for Suryakumar to show what he can do and make it his own,” he added.

Meanwhile, India will play their first T20I series under new captain Suryakumar later this week when they get underway with a three-match series against Sri Lanka. The first match is scheduled for July 27.