Not fitness issue! Ex-India selector reveals main reason behind Hardik Pandya losing T20I captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav

Former India cricketer and national selector Saba Karim believes Hardik Pandya being injury-prone is not the only reason behind him not becoming the captain of India's T20I side.

The BCCI recently announced Suryakumar Yadav as India's permanent T20I captain after Rohit Sharma's retirement. While speculations were rife that Pandya would be replacing Rohit as the new T20I captain, the selectors, and the newly-appointed 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 the vice-captain of the team during last month's T20 World Cup as well and was one of the best performers in the tournament. Pandya delivered with both bat and ball to help India win the T20 World Cup after a gap of 17 years.

Unsurprisingly, it was expected that Pandya would be replacing Rohit as the captain. The selectors and the team management, however, picked 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 record.

"His fitness is a challenge and we wanted someone who is available more often than not," Agarkar had said during a press conference earlier this week.

However, Saba Karim believes fitness concern is not the only reason behind Pandya's failure to get the T20I captaincy. The former national selector believes that the selectors and the team management picked Suryakumar over Pandya in order to carry forward the legacy of Rohit's captaincy. Karim said that Suryakumar's demeanor and style are similar to Rohit and he has captaincy experience as well.

"The matter being discussed currently 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 injury-prone and it is a reason behind their decision," Saba Karim told News24 Sports.

"I believe another reason behind this is the legacy that Rohit Sharma has left as captain. At this time, the selectors, team management, or head coach feel that the best player to carry forward that legacy is Suryakumar Yadav. Firstly, he is always available, and secondly, his demeanor and style are very similar to Rohit Sharma.

"He also has experience in captaincy in T20s, having captained the team against a top-quality side like Australia. He performed brilliantly, kept the team united, and his individual performance was outstanding," he added.

Selectors' decision a bit harsh: Saba Karim:

Speaking further, Saba Karim also called the selectors' decision to not give Hardik Pandya the captaincy 'a bit harsh'. He stated that the situation could have been handled differently although he did admit that the change in the team-management might have played a big role. He said that selectors should have sacked Pandya as the vice-captain before the World Cup.

"I agree it is a bit harsh because in the World Cup, Hardik Pandya was made the vice-captain. If they had to think this way, they should have done so before the World Cup started and made Suryakumar Yadav the vice-captain then," said Karim.

"But they didn’t because at that time, there was a different set of team management, including Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and the selectors.

"However, this time, with the formation of the T20 team, a fresh set of eyes have come in, including Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, and a new captain. I believe this change in thinking is why we are seeing this change now," he added.

Meanwhile, Team India will be in action in T20Is later this week when the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka begins. The first match is scheduled to be played on July 27.