Sanjay Bangar Criticizes Hardik Pandya's Ouster as India Names Suryakumar Yadav T20I Captain

Former cricketer Sanjay Bangar voiced concerns over Hardik Pandya's removal as T20I captain, with Suryakumar Yadav being appointed for India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka starting July 27. Despite Hardik's strong performance and leadership, Bangar believes this decision is somewhat unjust.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has criticized the decision to replace all-rounder Hardik Pandya with Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain for India's upcoming white-ball tour to Sri Lanka. The tour, beginning July 27, will see Shubman Gill as the vice-captain for both the T20I and ODI teams.

Bangar pointed out Hardik's successful T20I leadership after the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 debacle, where India lost to England by 10 wickets in the semi-finals. Hardik, who led India in 16 T20I matches with a 62.50% win rate, was ousted despite his impressive performance in the World Cup, where he scored 144 runs from six innings and took 11 wickets.

Suryakumar, who led India in two series after the 50-over World Cup final loss to Australia, has also shown strong leadership, winning five of the seven matches he captained. While Bangar acknowledged Suryakumar’s experience and capability, he expressed surprise and disappointment over Hardik’s removal from the captaincy.

Bangar speculated that Hardik would have remained captain had he not been injured during a series against Afghanistan earlier this year. He believes a little injustice has been done to Hardik, who he felt would have taken over the captaincy if not for Rohit Sharma's return.

India's tour of Sri Lanka will start with three T20I matches at Pallekele International Stadium, followed by three ODIs at R Premadasa Stadium from August 2. Both squads have undergone significant changes, with new head coaches Sanath Jayasuriya for Sri Lanka and Gautam Gambhir for India making their debuts in these roles.

India's last bilateral white-ball series in Sri Lanka was in July 2021, where India won the ODI series 2-1, but Sri Lanka clinched the T20I series. The latest T20I squad comprises Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, and others, while the ODI squad includes Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, and team members.