The Indian team are making their way to Sri Lanka for their limited-overs tour of the country. The team, who will be led by a new coaching staff helmed by Gautam Gambhir and a new captain in T20Is in Suryakumar Yadav, was spotted gathering at the Mumbai airport on Monday just hours after the former gave a press conference along with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
New captain Suryakumar could be seen walking in through the gates while all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen hugging new assistant coach Abhishek Nayar before going in. Pandya was a major subject of conversation during the press conference with the all-rounder being seen as the prime candidate to succeed Rohit as the T20I captain until last month. However, it emerged not long after Gambhir was announced as head coach that he and the rest of the coaching staff preferred Suryakumar due to Pandya possibly not being available for all matches due to his struggles with injuries.
Agarkar confirmed the same on Monday, stating that the Indian think tank wanted to avoid the situation they were in after the 2023 World Cup, in which Pandya sustained a freak injury and was out until the start of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) on March 22. This left India without a clear-cut candidate to lead the team until Suryakumar Yadav was made captain late in the year.
‘Fitness has been a challenge for Hardik,’ says Agarkar
"Regarding Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him... Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we've seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup... We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yes, we've spoken to him," said Agarkar.
{{/usCountry}}"Regarding Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him... Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we've seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup... We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yes, we've spoken to him," said Agarkar.
{{/usCountry}}Agarkar also confirmed that while Suryakumar has been made T20I captain, he probably won't even find a place in the ODI team, let alone be the skipper in that format as well.