Rohit Sharma's close aid reveals why Suryakumar Yadav was preferred as India captain ahead of Hardik Pandya

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has backed Hardik Pandya to bounce back after the disappointment of missing out on the T20I captaincy.

The star allrounder was widely expected to become India's new T20I captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format last month. There were some doubts over Hardik Pandya's captaincy credentials after his poor campaign in the IPL but he strengthened his claim with a stunning display in the T20 World Cup.

He was India's vice-captain in the tournament and lived up to the expectations. The 30-year-old made a big impact with both bat and ball as India won the T20 World Cup after a gap of 17 years. With the bat, he scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 44 and a strike rate of more than 150 in addition to picking up 11 wickets.

Unsurprisingly, it was expected that Hardik Pandya would be the first choice as captain after starring in the T20 World Cup and his captaincy experience. However, the selectors and the team management decided to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain.

Many believe that the call was harsh on the allrounder and he deserved the captaincy more than Suryakumar. However, former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has backed the selectors' decision, saying that they were right to pick Suryakumar who is not injury-prone like Pandya. He also explained why it is important to have a captain who can play regularly.

"Fitness is a very important aspect. I think this decision has been made because the selectors, coach, and board believe that if we want to win the World Cup again, the captain needs to play consistently. If forced changes happen due to injury, the entire dynamics of the team will change," Pragyan Ojha told Sports Tak.

Pragyan Ojha backs Hardik Pandya:

Speaking further, Pragyan Ojha also backed Hardik Pandya to bounce back. The former spinner said that the latest disappointment will motivate Panday to perform even better. Ojha highlighted how Pandya bounced back in the T20 World Cup after a poor campaign in the IPL where he struggled both as captain and allrounder.

"However, if you talk about Hardik Pandya, he is a carefree character. I think this will motivate him even more to perform," said Pragyan Ojha.

"If you look at it, right after the IPL, he came into the team as a vice-captain, and his place in the team was questioned. But the way he performed...

"I feel he is the kind of character who, if he feels something is not going in his favor, it motivates him even more," he added.

Meanwhile, both Pandya and Suryakumar will be in action later this week when Team India and Sri Lanka take on each other in the three-match T20I series. The first game is scheduled to be played on July 27.