Watch: Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav's epic reunion after T20I captaincy drama shocks Indian players

In a dramatic turn of events that has sent social media into a frenzy, India’s newly-appointed T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya have quashed all doubts about their camaraderie after what happened in the past few days.

Following the shocking appointment of Suryakumar as the new T20I skipper of the Indian Cricket Team, eclipsing Pandya, the vice-captain of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team, critics were eagerly waiting for sparks to fly. However, what transpired has left them speechless.

Hardik and Suryakumar showcased their unbreakable bond in their first meeting after the bold decision by the national selectors to pave a new path for India's T20I team. With Suryakumar at the helm, Hardik has proven that there's no room for rivalry, only brotherhood.

Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya's unexpected hug silences critics and Indian teammates

The cricketing world was set ablaze when a heartwarming video shared by BCCI late on Monday night (July 22) showed Hardik embracing Suryakumar at the Mumbai airport in their first meeting following the selectors' groundbreaking decision to appoint the batter as T20I captain.

This heartwarming moment between Suryakumar and Hardik captured just before they departed for Colombo for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka, has become the talk of the town.

The entire Indian T20 squad, along with the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and his coaching staff, gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday afternoon to leave for Sri Lanka.

Well, the footage of Hardik and Suryakumar’s affectionate hug has certainly put an end to any lingering speculation as Team India embarked on a thrilling new chapter under the new leadership of Gambhir and Suryakumar. In the clip, the duo can be seen sharing smiles while hugging each other.

However, all eyes were on the Mumbai Indians (MI) teammates when they were sharing a warm hug at the Mumbai Airport, as Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rishabh Pant, and others were looking at them in some muted expressions, which were showing they were not surely ready for this moment.

Watch how Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav leave everyone stunned:

Mumbai to Pallekele via Colombo ✈️ 🚌#TeamIndia have reached Sri Lanka 🇱🇰#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/ffDYJOV7wm

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 22, 2024

The fitness is a clear challenge with Hardik Pandya: Ajit Agarkar

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has a history of injuries, due to which he has missed a lot of cricket. It played a key role in the all-rounder not getting India’s T20I captaincy, as Gambhir and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, wanted someone who would be available for all the matches.

Agarkar said at the press conference: “Surya is one of the deserving candidates. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world. You would want a captain that's going to be more likely to play all the games. In regards to Hardik, he's still a very important player for us and that's what we want him to be that player that he can be because those sorts of skill sets are very difficult to find what he has.

Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years and then it becomes a little bit more difficult for him and even as selectors. The fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone likely to be available more often than not.”