Agarkar cleared the air regarding the T20I captaincy that stirred quite a debate since the announcement.
Following the retirement of all-format skipper Rohit Sharma after the T20 World Cup 2024 win, the biggest question was who would be the one to take over the captaincy reins.
The selection committee recently ended all anticipation when they announced the squads for the upcoming India tour of Sri Lanka where the Men in Blue will play a white-ball series, comprising three T20Is and as many ODI’s.
While premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya looked like the frontrunner for the role, the BCCI shocked everyone when they named dynamic-batter Suryakumar Yadav as Rohit’s successor.
The decision was even more surprising since Pandya also served as vice-captain during the recent World Cup win.
The decision stirred quite a debate but Indian selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar revealed the real reason behind the decision during a press-conference earlier today in Mumbai.
Agarkar was quoted as saying, “Why Surya was made the captain, because he is one of the deserving candidates. He’s been around the group over the last year, we get feedback from the dressing room a lot. [He has a] good cricket brain, and [is] one of the best T20 batters in the world.”
It is understood, SKY pipped Hardik for the leadership role due to Hardik’s workload and injury issues.
Agarkar further highlighted that the management did not want to burden Pandya with additional leadership responsibility, which will allow to manage his workload better.
Since early 2022, Hardik has participated in just 46 of the 79 T20Is played by India. He sustained an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup in India last year and was sidelined until the beginning of the IPL 2024 season earlier this year.
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