Former India cricketer and national coach Saba Karim believes that Hardik Pandya being injury-prone is not the only reason why he did not become the captain of the Indian T20I team.
Recently, the BCCI announced that Suryakumar Yadav will be India’s permanent T20I captain following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. While there were many speculations that Pandya would replace Rohit as the new T20I captain, the selectors and new head coach Gautam Gambhir decided otherwise.
Pandya had led the Indian team in the shortest format of the game last year when Rohit did not play in T20Is. He was also the vice-captain of the team during last month’s T20 World Cup and was one of the best players in the tournament. Pandya delivered on his task with both bat and ball to help India win the T20 World Cup after a gap of 17 years.
As expected, Pandya was expected to replace Rohit as captain. However, the selectors and team management chose Suryakumar Yadav as Rohit’s replacement. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently explained the reason behind the decision, saying that one of the main reasons is Pandya’s poor fitness.
“His fitness is a challenge and we wanted someone who is available most of the time,” Agarkar had said during a press conference earlier this week.
However, Saba Karim believes that fitness concerns are not the only reason behind Pandya’s failure to get the T20I captaincy. The former national coach believes that the selectors and the team management chose Suryakumar over Pandya to carry on the legacy of Rohit’s captaincy. Karim said that Suryakumar’s conduct and style are similar to Rohit’s and that he too has experience as a captain.
“The topic that is currently being discussed is that the selectors, along with Gautam Gambhir, feel that they need a player who is always available for T20 matches. It is no secret that Hardik Pandya has been prone to injuries and that is one of the reasons behind their decision,” Saba Karim told News24 Sports.
“I think another reason behind this is the legacy that Rohit Sharma has left behind as captain. Right now, the selectors, team management or head coach feel that the best player to carry on that legacy is Suryakumar Yadav. Firstly, he is always available and secondly, his behaviour and style are very similar to Rohit Sharma.
“He also has experience as a T20 captain as he captained the team against a top-class team like Australia. He put in a brilliant performance, held the team together and his individual performance was outstanding,” he added.
The selectors’ decision is a bit harsh: Saba Karim:
Saba Karim also termed the selectors’ decision to not give Hardik Pandya the captaincy as “a bit harsh”. He claimed that the situation could have been handled differently, though he admitted that the change in the team management could have played a role. He said that the selectors should have sacked Pandya as vice-captain before the World Cup.
“I agree that it is a bit harsh because in the World Cup, Hardik Pandya was made vice-captain. If they had to think this way, they should have done it before the World Cup started and made Suryakumar Yadav vice-captain,” Karim said.
“But they didn’t do it because at that time there was a different group of team management including Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and the selectors.
“However, this time, with the formation of the T20 squad, new eyes have come in, including Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, and a new captain. I think this change in mindset is the reason we are seeing this shift now,” he added.
Meanwhile, Team India will be in T20I action later this week when they get underway with the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The first match is scheduled to be played on July 27.
