Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @harbhajan3
Harbhajan Singh recently expressed disappointment over the BCCI‘s decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain instead of Hardik Pandya.
In an interview, Harbhajan shared his surprise at the move, noting Hardik’s recent success and consistent T20 performances. He emphasized that Hardik had served as vice-captain and was expected to take over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma.
Harbhajan pointed out that Pandya had been leading India in T20I matches for over a year and had done so successfully. He also mentioned Pandya’s recent World Cup win, which further strengthened his leadership credentials, making his removal from the captaincy surprising.
“I was surprised and disappointed to some extent because Hardik Pandya has been the vice-captain. And if Rohit Sharma is no longer the captain, then naturally, the vice-captain should step up. He has been leading the side for over a year now, and just after winning the World Cup, this decision feels like a big setback for him,” Harbhajan said in the interview.
Despite his respect for Suryakumar Yadav, calling him a “selfless” and “phenomenal” player, Harbhajan questioned whether even Suryakumar had expected to be named captain.
“I have great respect for Suryakumar Yadav. He’s a phenomenal player and a selfless guy, but even he might not have expected to become the captain. Things could have been handled differently. Hardik should have continued as the captain, given his recent performances. Suryakumar has a lot of time ahead of him,” he added.
Harbhajan also acknowledged that Pandya had been consistent in leading India and suggested that Pandya’s absence from a few games, possibly due to fitness or other reasons, might have influenced the BCCI’s decision to name Suryakumar as captain.
However, Harbhajan firmly believed that removing Pandya from the captaincy was unfair. He argued that, despite any short-term concerns, the decision could have been managed more thoughtfully.
In Harbhajan’s view, Pandya had proven his leadership abilities, making him the ideal candidate to continue as captain. While the move to Suryakumar might be understandable for the future, it appeared premature.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Stay ahead of the latest cricket industry trends by subscribing to our free cricexec “daily briefing” newsletter.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
