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Mohammad Kaif discussed why Hardik Pandya could have been a better option, even if he anticipated that Suryakumar Yadav, India’s new T20I captain, could guide the squad to unprecedented heights.
When the BCCI announced their selections for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka on Thursday, July 18, they dropped some bombshells. The selection of Suryakumar as the T20I squad’s captain was one of the biggest surprises. Last month, Hardik served as vice captain for India during their victorious T20 World Cup campaign. After the final, Rohit Sharma declared his retirement from the format, and he was supposed to take his place. But in the end, Suryakumar defeated the Baroda all-round player to accept the esteemed position.
Although Kaif acknowledged Suryakumar’s extraordinary batting ability, he believed Hardik Pandya’s background as a leader ought to have been taken into account.
“Hardik has been the Gujarat Titans’ captain for two years, and they reached the finals in their first year alone. As a T20I captain, Hardik has experience. He led his team in the T20 World Cup as deputy captain as well. With the arrival of a new coach, fresh arrangements will be made. After years of playing, Surya is also a skilled player. He is the top T20 player, so maybe he can carry the captaincy well. However, I believe they ought to have supported Hardik,” Kaif stated, as cited by TOI.
“Gambhir is the seasoned coach and captain… He is well-versed in cricket. I believe that ‘Hardik ne aisa koi galat kaam nhi kia k unko captaincy na mile’, meaning that he hasn’t done anything wrong to warrant not being appointed captain,” Kaif continued.
Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik, finished second in the 2023 IPL and won the title in 2022. Before the 2024 IPL, he joined the Mumbai Indians and took Rohit’s role as manager. But the five-time winners came in last. In 16 games under his leadership, India has won ten under the 30-year-old. Although Suryakumar hasn’t held the position of captain in the IPL, he has guided the Men in Blue through seven games, five of which have resulted in victories.
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“He has a lot of experience, having led an IPL team, and it’s a big deal to be able to guide a young, inexperienced squad like the Gujarat Titans to victory. In the IPL, he has helped the Titans win by operating from Ground Zero.He deserved to be the captain, in my opinion. So let’s just observe,” Kaif continued.
The former cricket player for India believes that the selectors’ decision to not name Hardik as the captain may have been influenced by fitness concerns.
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