Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, the new India T20I captain, displayed great camaraderie as the two shared a hug ahead of the Indian team’s journey to Sri Lanka for the three T20I-match series starting July 27 onwards. India will also play three ODIs starting August 2nd.
There were rumors of a rift between Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav after the latter was named the Indian T20I captain, replacing the now-retired Rohit Sharma.
Hardik Pandya was primed to be the next T20I captain, given that he was the vice-captain of the Men in Blue team which won the T20 World Cup 2024 recently. He was also India's unofficial T20I captain for almost a year between December 2022 and October 2023.
However, an ankle injury during the ICC World Cup 2023 changed things as new coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar wanted a captain who would be available for all T20I matches going ahead.
Given Hardik’s poor history with injuries and requirement of frequent breaks and his importance as the premier pace all-rounder India has, he was overlooked for captaincy, with Suryakumar Yadav being named the new skipper.
Meanwhile, in their first meeting after the selectors' move to chalk out a roadmap for India's T20Is side in the post-Rohit, Kohli era, keeping Suryakumar at the forefront, Hardik and the newly appointed T20I skipper were like brothers in arms.
BCCI shared a video of the Indian team assembling at the Mumbai airport before flying to Colombo and in one of the moments in the video, Hardik is seen warming embracing Suryakumar Yadav as they got together.
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Notably, both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are part of the T20I squad only and won’t be playing in the ODIs. While Suryakumar Yadav is no longer in the plans for 50-over cricket, Hardik has asked for leave for personal reasons.
The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka will begin on July 27 at the Pallekele Stadium.
