‘Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him’ - Ajit Agarkar gives clarity over Hardik Pandya’s T20I captaincy

BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified the reason behind dropping Hardik Pandya as the captain of the T20I team. When Rohit Sharma was not around for T20Is after the World Cup in 2022, Hardik was appointed as captain and the all-rounder has done a decent job. His portfolio as captain is stunning, as he helped Gujarat Titans win the IPL in 2022 and finished as runner-up in 2023.  

He was also India’s vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2024 but was removed from the leadership group for the series against Sri Lanka. Explaining the reason, Agarkar mentioned that fitness has been an issue for the all-rounder, which is arguably why the selectors were hesitant in handing him the baton. 

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Agarkar added that Hardik will be an important player for the team and him not captaining gives selectors some room for workload management. He stated that the selectors have had a word with Hardik and they explained the reason behind appointing Suryakumar Yadav as new T20I captain.

“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,” Agarkar said in the press conference. 

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“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, about whether their role has changed. And yeah we've spoken to him,” he added. 

Team India will depart for Sri Lanka on July 22. The three-match T20I series will begin on July 27 and it will be followed by a three-match ODI series, where senior cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will join the squad.