Ajit Agarkar on picking Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Hardik Pandya as India’s T20I captain: ‘We wanted a captain, who is likely to play all the games’

Ajit Agarkar revealed that fitness was one of the reason why Hardik Pandya was not considered for India’s T20I captain and this is why Suryakumar Yadav pipped him for the role of India’s T20I captain.

“He is one of the deserving candidates,” Agarkar told the reporters.

“He is one of the best T20 batters in the world. We feel that Surya has all the necessary qualities to be a good captain. We wanted a captain, who is likely to play all the games,” he said.

“Surya has the necessary ability to lead the team. We wanted a captain who is around. We will see how he will do in two years time.”

Agarkar said Hardik is still an invaluable player for the Indian team.

“As far as Hardik is concerned, he is still a very important player. And that’s what we want him to be, those skillsets are hard to find,” he said.

India’s Hardik Pandya celebrates the wicket of South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

“Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with. As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more.

“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, about whether their role has changed. And yeah we’ve spoken to him…”

Agarkar also made it clear that at this point Suryakumar Yadav is only considered for the T20Is.

“At this point, Surya is being seen just as a T20 player, not being considered for ODIs,” said Agarkar.

Jadeja not dropped

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has cleared the air that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is not dropped from the team.

“Jadeja was not dropped from ODIs. The decision was made considering the test workload coming up soon after,” he said.

“We should have clarified that after selection that ‘No he [Jadeja] has not been dropped’. He’s very much in the scheme of things.”

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