Over a period of time, Hardik Pandya has become an integral part of the Indian limited-overs set-up. He has different gears of pace and possesses a variety of skills. He can also bowl at different stages of an innings. In addition to his bowling artillery, Hardik can also land lusty blows down the order. But with all of Hardik’s good qualities, there is one major question mark against him: injury concerns.
Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of the Indian men’s team, made it clear that Hardik’s lack of fitness was the key reason behind not naming him as the captain of the T20I set-up. Both Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed coach, were attending a press conference ahead of India’s tour of Sri Lanka.
Recently, after India triumphed in the T20 World Cup, in the Caribbean, Rohit Sharma had decided to hang up his boots from T20Is, leaving the leadership role vacant. Subsequently, the selectors decided to name Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain. “As far as Hardik is concerned, he is still a very important player,” said Agarkar. “And that’s what we want him to be. Those skillsets are hard to find. Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with. As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more.”
Hardik, though, has showcased that he has the required leadership skills, having captained Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in 2022. Unfortunately for Hardik, he couldn’t take Mumbai Indians to similar heights this season. Meanwhile, Suryakumar has led the T20I side in seven matches, with India winning five of them. He also gave a glimpse of his ability to lead from the front with a breezy hundred against South Africa at the Wanderers last year.
“Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain,” added Agarkar. “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 (on) whether their role has changed. And we’ve spoken to him.”
Agarkar also pointed out that Ravindra Jadeja, the experienced all-rounder, hasn’t been left out of the ODI set-up. Instead, he has been rested. He also provided the rationale behind the decision. “It would have been really pointless to take both Axar and Jadeja for a three-match series,” he said. “There’s a big Test season coming up. I think probably we should have clarified it when the squad was announced. He is still part of the format. He is a very important player for us.”
On the other hand, Gambhir shared his views on workload management for fast bowlers. The head coach stressed upon how India need to manage the workload of Jasprit Bumrah, India’s spearhead across formats. India have a busy season coming up, with a tour to Australia at the fag end of the year.
“I’ve said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important,” he said. “He is one rare bowler, which anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That’s why the workload management for not just him, but fast bowlers, is important.”