Ashish Nehra, a former fast bowler for India and the head coach of the Gujarat Titans, mentioned that he wasn’t shocked by the Indian management’s choice to not make Hardik Pandya the new captain for T20 matches. Nehra explained that he could see why chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the recently appointed coach Gautam Gambhir decided to choose Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20 captain.
Hardik Pandya, who was in charge of India’s T20 team in 2023, served as Rohit Sharma’s assistant during the successful World Cup in June held in the USA and the West Indies. Although it was thought that Hardik would take over as T20 captain after Rohit retired from this format, the BCCI revealed that Suryakumar would be the new T20 captain for the upcoming series of three matches in Sri Lanka.
“No, I’m not shocked. In cricket, unexpected events occur frequently. Hardik Pandya served as vice-captain during the World Cup, but there’s a new coach now. Each coach and captain has unique perspectives. Currently, Gambhir’s views align with this approach,” Nehra shared with Sports Tak.
“I believe Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have stated their positions clearly, which is positive. Pandya is focusing on one format, the 50-over game, and playing less of it. In limited-overs cricket, Hardik Pandya remains a crucial player for the Indian team. With him, the team can field four fast bowlers, achieving a unique balance. Remember, there’s no designated impact player in international cricket.”
“Not only Hardik Pandya, but with so many games, there are bound to be changes. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have also led the team,” he mentioned.
Importantly, Hardik Pandya had a successful start as the leader of a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022 with the Gujarat Titans. He built a strong partnership with the Titans’ coach, Nehra. Together, they guided the team to victory in the 2022 IPL and also led them to the finals in 2023.
In addition, Ashish Nehra supported the choice to make Shubman Gill the vice-captain for both T20 and ODI matches, believing that Gill, as the Titans’ captain, will grow stronger with experience in all three formats. Nehra and Gill collaborated as captain and coach for the Titans in 2024.
They have developed Shubman Gill for all three cricket formats, which shows they are planning for the future.
Shubman Gill is still improving. He is around 24-25 years old now. He will continue to get better as time goes on. He wants to play in all three formats and is eager to learn. He doesn’t believe that everything he does is correct. He is open to discussions and learning, whether he’s talking to a young player or someone with more experience,” he said.
Team India arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday and started preparing for the upcoming T20I series, which begins on July 27, on Tuesday. Coach Gambhir and captain Suryakumar supervised their first training session together in Pallekele.
