Hardik Pandya Set for T20I Captaincy Comeback as Suryakumar Yadav Struggles: Reports

Suryakumar Yadav Struggles: Reports" src="https://www.ipl.com/upload/20250207/b3b51d1e57faefbd8bb7e6b0f1cc92ad.jpeg" style="width: 1200px; height: 764px;" />The star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya lost his T20I captaincy despite leading India in several matches between 2022 and 2024. After the star Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is following India's World Cup in June last year. 

The BCCI named the star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain. But now the T20I skipper Surya was not in good form in T20Is. According to the reports from Dainik Jagran, Hardik Pandya might get the captaincy back as the T20I skipper Surya has been struggling with the bat.

Hardik Pandya’s Possible Comeback as Captain

Surya was once the No. 1 T20I batter in the world, but his form dropped after taking over the Indian team captaincy. Since leading the Indian team in the Sri Lanka series last year, Surya has scored only 258 runs in 14 innings, his batting average also dipped to 18.42 with just two half-centuries. 

Surya's performance in the recent T20I series against England was concerning as he managed to score only 28 runs in five innings, which included two ducks. With his poor form raising questions, the report suggests that some BCCI officials and Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir believe Hardik deserves another chance.

According to the source mentioned that "Despite Hardik being the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup, Surya Kumar Yadav was later made the captain. Surya's performance has also been poor. In such a situation, Hardik can return as captain in T20 as well. Some people who dominate the BCCI and Gambhir believe that a lot of bad things have happened to Hardik in history. He was not given the captaincy on the basis of fitness, while his performance has been consistently good." 

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Why Was Hardik Denied Captaincy?

Last year, Ajit Agarkar, the Chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), explained why Hardik was not chosen as captain for the T20I format. He said Hardik’s fitness was a concern, and the selectors wanted a captain who could play regularly in this format.

Ajit Agarkar said, "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. 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, whether their role has changed. And yeah we've spoken to him." 

With Suryakumar’s struggle in T20Is, the discussion about Hardik’s return as captain is gaining momentum. 

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