Hardik Pandya removed from all forms of..
Published - 21 Aug 2025, 04:27 PM | Updated - 21 Aug 2025, 05:04 PM
Table of Contents
India National Cricket Team star all-rounder Hardik Pandya remains a key part of the white-ball setup, but his role has been reduced to just a senior player with no leadership responsibilities. Hardik Pandya was once again overlooked for captaincy, as Shubman Gill was preferred ahead of him.
Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, where Pandya will feature only as an all-rounder, while Suryakumar Yadav will continue as the T20I captain. The latest changes meant that the star all-rounder is out of the T20I captaincy race.
The 31-year-old has led India in 16 T20I games, winning 10 of them, and was widely seen as the natural successor to Rohit Sharma in the shortest format after his retirement in 2024. However, the Indian selectors and new head coach Gautam Gambhir went ahead with Suryakumar Yadav.
Hardik Pandya’s leadership dream ends with Shubman Gill's appointment
At that time, there were reports that Pandya’s injury record had played a huge part in this decision. His ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup kept him out of action for weeks and cast doubts over his long-term fitness.
However, Pandya returned strongly and served as vice-captain in India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, but the leadership has slipped out of his reach now.
Some argued Pandya’s repeated injuries make him unreliable as a full-time India captain; many believed that the star Indian all-rounder’s proven record and experience under pressure had made him an automatic choice, but Gambhir and the selectors picked Suryakumar and now Gill.
Hardik Pandya has been completely sidelined from the India captaincy race in all formats
Meanwhile, now a Dainik Jagran journalist revealed that not just in T20Is, Hardik Pandya is not being considered for India’s captaincy in ODI cricket as well. He revealed that Shreyas Iyer is 99% certain to succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s next ODI captain later this year.
But the BCCI, selectors, and team management are not considering Pandya for the captaincy of any format. The journalist was quoted as saying by the BCCI sources, “The final decision is yet to be made, but Hardik is completely out of the race for India’s T20I or ODI captaincy.”
Even former Indian cricketer Madan Lal also questioned the decision to remove Pandya from his vice-captaincy in the format. However, he also welcomed the move to promote Shubman Gill as the T20I vice-captain. He had said, “I don't know why Hardik Pandya has been removed.”
Read Also: Shreyas Iyer's Ouster Cancelled; India's Chief Selector takes stand against Gautam Gambhir
India eye ninth Asia Cup crown
Notably, the Asia Cup 2025 is set to begin on September 9 in the UAE. A total of eight nations—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong—will compete for the championship. With 19 T20Is—11 in Dubai and 8 in Abu Dhabi—the tournament offers the perfect build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
India, the defending champions with a record eight titles, will be the favorites for the title. India, Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE are in Group A, while Group B features Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. The top two from each group move into the Super Four, and then the top two teams will reach the finals of the tournament.
Read Also: Rohit Sharma picks to not go down without fighting, declares international comeback
About the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
