Having played the T20 World Cup 2024 as vice-captain, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was one of the front-runners to take over the leadership mantle after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format.
However, when the squad for the current Sri Lanka tour was announced last July, Hardik was listed only as a player, with Suryakumar Yadav being handed the T20I captaincy.
Not only this, the deputy role was also taken away from Hardik. While Shubman Gill was named vice-captain on the tour of Sri Lanka, Axar Patel was recently named Suryakumar’s deputy for the upcoming five-T20I series against England at home.
No wonder, questions are now being raised regarding what has gone wrong with Hardik and why he isn't being looked at as someone with leadership credentials.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India batter Aakash Chopra said there should be some clarity regarding what has happened with Hardik the leader.
"What has happened with Hardik Pandya? Nobody is thinking or talking about him. What exactly has happened with him? He will definitely go to the Champions Trophy. He brings that balance," Chopra stated.
"He had an exceptional T20 World Cup. He is the captain of Mumbai Indians. He led India in the 6 T20I series and won five out of them. When Rohit wasn't available, Hardik used to be the captain," he added.
Aakash Chopra further wondered how Hardik Pandya's stocks have fallen as the leader. It is worth mentioning here that Hardik led Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.
Under his captaincy, the five-time champions finished the season at the bottom of the points table and the all-rounder also endured a disappointing campaign with both bat and ball. Moreover, Pandya was booed by the MI fans on several stadiums for being appointed captain by the franchise management, replacing Rohit Sharma.
Despite the setback, Hardik Pandya stayed calm and focused. He went on to play a critical role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph and won over the fans again.
"Suddenly, what has happened? He is not even the vice-captain. He is not being talked about. Mumbai Indians had a bad reason but you cannot blame Hardik for that. Even if the performance and his captaincy were bad, it has nothing to do with Indian cricket. The Indian team captaincy is not decided on the basis of franchise captaincy. If this was the case, the matter would have been different. There have been so many captains who led India despite their franchise doing nothing in the IPL," said Chopra.
"It is beyond my understanding regarding what is happening with Hardik Pandya. There should be some clarity regarding whether he can be considered as captaincy candidate going ahead. It is looking like we are heading towards different captains in all three formats. Hardik is not even the vice-captain and it is a bit surprising," he remarked.
