Rashid Latif on Hardik Pandya captaincy snub: Players who weren’t super fit still became great captains…it was just an excuse

For the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, India made Suryakumar Yadav the skipper which raised a few eyebrows as Hardik Pandya was named as the vice-captain to Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosted by West Indies and the United States which India emerged victorious. Chairman of Chief Selectors Ajit Agarkar would give “fitness” as the reason behind the decision.

“No, here they (the claims) just hand him a certificate saying he isn’t fit and there are concerns about his fitness. There are plenty of players who weren’t super fit but still became great captains. So, I think it was just an excuse. Because if Surya wasn’t around, then Rishabh (Pant) would have been the captain since you have to look at the future,” said former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif on the Caught Behind YouTube channel.

“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 told the media earlier.

The Indian Express has reported earlier that: The selection meeting that has redrawn the Indian dressing room hierarchy went on for several hours over two days. Those in the know talk about differences of opinion, negotiations and heated debates. During the meetings, calls were made to several players and long-term plans were shared with them.

There was an opinion that not naming the incumbent vice-captain of the T20 team as the new skipper would be unfair on him. Some said it was Rohit’s decision to have Pandya as his deputy even though the selection committee wasn’t too keen on that.

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