'Gain respect' - Former Sri Lankan player thinks this is why Hardik Pandya lost captaincy race to Suryakumar Yadav

India's star cricketer Hardik Pandya was the vice captain of the 2024 T20 World Cup team and was looking all set to take over the reins as the new captain after Rohit Sharma retired following the showpiece event win. However, the departure of head coach Rahul Dravid and former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir succeeding him meant that the leadership group was reshuffled. What majorly followed was the sidelining of the star all-rounder, as Suryakumar Yadav was named as the next Indian skipper with an eye on the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has named his deputy.

Entering the new era of Indian cricket after the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, the Men in Blue are set to commence the Suryakumar-Gambhir era in the T20Is when the side will be taking Sri Lanka for the three matches of the T20I series commencing on July 27. Hardik Pandya will definitely retain his spot in the playing XI and will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the T20I format for Team India.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav meet for the first time after captaincy controversy

I reckon with how the IPL went and whereas Hardik couldn't really gain the respect of everyone around him: Russell Arnold

In the same vein, former Sri Lanka cricketer Russell Arnold feels that Hardik Pandya's poor stint with the Mumbai Indians back in IPL 2024 could have been the major factor behind his snub from the captaincy spot.

"Well, both are exceptional players. They bring different things to the party. Suryakumar Yadav is probably one of the better T20 batters going around and the way he plays it, he obviously has to see and read the game like no one else. Hardik has also shown that. But I reckon with how the IPL went and whereas Hardik couldn't really gain the respect of everyone around him, might have prompted BCCI to look in a different direction," Arnold said.

The five-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians endured a horrific edition as they finished at the bottom of the points table with Hardik Pandya as their captain for the first time this year. The controversial nature of his appointment as the skipper didn't help Hardik, while the removal of Rohit Sharma didn't sit well with the majority of the fans, who showcased their disappointment clearly by booing Hardik in most of the side's home matches.

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