Why was Hardik Pandya removed as the captain of Team India despite having an excellent record
Elite Indian All-Rounder Hardik Pandya was once considered as the front runner to become the next captain of Team India. He was leading the team in T20 Internationals in the absence of Rohit Sharma who was busy preparing for tha 2023 ODI World Cup. Many thought that Junior Pandya will replace Rohit as the captain in limited overs formats.
However, ever since Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the new head coach of the Men in Blue, things have gone all wrong for Pandya. Suryakumar Yadav was given the T20 captaincy duties, which was a complete gamble. Moreover, the 31-year-old was not even considered for the role of the vice-captain.
He was the Vice-captain in the T20 World Cup of 2024 but, he was stripped off that role too. The Mumbai Indians skipper was not even considered for the role of the Vice-captain in the five-match T20 International series versus England. Instead, spin bowling all-rounder Axar Patel became the vice-captain of the team.The Men in Blue didn't appoint a deputy in the T20 International series versus South Africa and Bangladesh.
Nobody has a clear answer to the question of why Pandya was not considered for the Vice-captaincy role. Former Indian Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik also has no idea about it and he said, "I really don't know. I don't have a clue about why he was removed from the Vice-captaincy position. I don't see any reason. He (Hardik) has done well and he has also proven himself to be a good leader."
Hardik Pandya's record as the captain of Team India
Under the leadership of Hardik, the Indian Team have taken part in 16 T20 International matches, securing wins in 11 matches out of those 16 contests. Out of four T20 International series, Hardik helped the Indian team win three.
What's the reason behind Hardik's removal as the captain of Team India?
Meanwhile, according to the news reports of Indian media, the fitness concerns of the 31-year-old was the main reason behind his removal as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team. He has a tendency of getting injured midway through an ICC tournament and then he will directly regain fitness in order to participate in the IPL.
This didn't go down well with Gambhir and the selectors and this is the main reason why he was stripped off his captaincy duties. The player is currently participating in the T20 International series versus England and he will be playing in the ODI series too.
He's a part of the Champions Trophy squad of Team India and his good form with both bat & ball will be crucial in the success of the Rohit Sharma-led team in the marquee ICC event of this year.
The 2013 Champions Trophy winners will be a part of Group - A alongside Fierce-Rivals Pakistan, Asian-Rivals Bangladesh, and Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand. They will be kicking off their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign versus Bangladesh in Dubai.
Champions Trophy 2025 squad of Team India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Axar Patel, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.
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