Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has strong objections to the BCCI’s reasoning for making Suryakumar Yadav the new T20 captain by completely ignoring Hardik Pandya. Srikkanth, known for his outspoken nature, specifically attacked the issues of “dressing room feedback” and Hardik’s fitness, which the selectors used to exclude him from the position of captaincy.
He posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he questioned the logic behind the decision. Srikkanth responded to the fitness concerns that BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar pointed out; he said Hardik was participating fully in IPL 2024 and bowling spells. While acknowledging the poor performance by Mumbai Indians in that season, Srikkanth contended that it wasn’t based on fitness grounds that Hardik needed to be sidelined from captaincy.
“Fitness is something that I will not agree with,” Srikkanth asserted. “He played the entire IPL. He also bowled. Yes, he might not have done well in the IPL. That’s another issue. He performed well in the World Cup. So, fitness is something that I won’t agree with.”
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Hardik’s injury history became a talking point. He did suffer an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup, ruling him out for six months. His return as skipper of the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, though, seemed to beat the speculations around his availability.
Srikkanth was skeptical even of the “dressing room feedback” Agarkar cited in justification of the change in captaincy. “Feedback from the dressing room? I am not able to understand that,” he said. Srikkanth admitted Surya had leadership potential, but the reasons for removing Hardik weren’t clear.
“Yes, Suryakumar has the qualities to be captain. I agree to that,” Srikkanth conceded. “He could prove to be a very good captain. But the reasons for dropping Hardik Pandya as captain are beating about the bush on the question of reasoning.”He urged the selectors to be more transparent in their communication. “They could have said it in a straightforward manner ‘we are dropping Hardik Pandya as captain, we want to move forward. We are looking at Suryakumar as a long term’. Make it clear. Say it without fear,” he said.
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Drawing from his experience as a former selector, Srikkanth said what mattered was a clear explanation. “I have also been chairman,” he shared. “I have picked players, dropped players, and faced a lot of criticism. I am not saying I was God; I have also made mistakes. But you have to give a good explanation. I am not convinced by the reasoning.”
Srikkanth’s comments resonate with a wider sentiment among some fans and analysts who felt the BCCI explanation of a change of captaincy was not very transparent. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, both Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will come under intense scrutiny for how they both navigate their respective roles in the Indian team.
