Suryakumar, not Pandya, new T20 captain as coach Gambhir weighs in on way forward
There’s not much riding on the upcoming six-match limited overs bilateral series against Sri Lanka in commercial terms, but in more ways than one, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has put in place a few new markers in the leadership group of India’s squads named on Thursday; markers that have the definite touch of new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
The man taking the biggest leap is Suryakumar Yadav, who has been named as India’s new T20I captain. On the receiving end is Hardik Pandya, who, at the same time last year, was the favourite to lead India in the 2024 T20I World Cup. But now, he finds himself back as only a player. On the other hand, Shubman Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir Gill has been appointed as deputy to Surya in T20Is and to Rohit Sharma in ODIs. Hardik has opted out of the ODI matches.
At 42, Gambhir is the youngest to become India’s head coach. Having played with many of the players till as recently as 2018, he has had a ring-side view. Surya was once a vice-captain to Gambhir when he played for KKR. The 360-degree star went on to become a T20 batting powerhouse for Mumbai Indians.
Gambhir, it is learnt, has leaned on Surya as his captainof-choice over Hardik. With Surya having limited leadership experience, his tactical moves and man-management skills will be closely watched. The 2026 T20 World Cup is still far away and that will give him time to find his bearings.
Hardik overlooked
Hardik was monitored in a similar manner too. In the end, his disastrous season as captain for MI saw many lose faith in his abilities. On the face of it, a poor IPL campaign shouldn’t influence India selection. But his leadership skills didn’t inspire confidence. It didn’t help that “he could never win the dressing room at MI and many felt he couldn’t be trusted to rally the national team together,” said an official in the know.
Hardik was leading many India heavyweights at MI which included Rohit, the Indian captain he replaced, Surya himself and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah.