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NEW DELHI: Former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth was displeased with the reasons given by India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar for not appointing Hardik Pandya as the T20I captain.
According to Agarkar, the primary reason behind Pandya being overlooked for the captaincy role was the uncertainty surrounding his availability due to his history of injuries.
Suryakumar Yadav was last week named Rohit Sharma‘s successor in the T20 format for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on Saturday.
Srikkanth launched a verbal assault on Agarkar in response to the chief selector’s justification for Pandya’s snub.
“I think they have gone from the feedback of the dressing room. It must have probably been from the IPL. Fitness is something that I will not agree. He played the entire IPL. He also bowled. Yes, he might not have done well (in the IPL). That’s another issue. Mumbai Indians didn’t qualify. At the World Cup, he was the vice-captain and he played well. So, fitness is something that I won’t agree with,” Srikkanth said on YouTube channel.
“Suryakumar is a fantastic person. I like him. So is Hardik. But the reasons that they are giving they could have said it in a straightforward manner ‘we are dropping Hardik Pandya as captain, we want to move forward. We are looking at Suryakumar as a long term’. Make it clear. Say it without fear,” he added.
Pandya was Rohit’s deputy during India’s T20 World Cup triumph last month but he has suffered from fitness problems and missed the 50-over World Cup last year with an ankle injury.
“Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with,” Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai alongside new coach Gautam Gambhir.
“As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone who is likely to be available more.”
He was “still a very important player,” Agarkar said. “And that’s what we want him to be, those skill sets are hard to find.”
Agarkar explained that several factors contributed to Suryakumar’s selection. The player’s fitness level, along with positive feedback from the team management, played a crucial role in the decision-making process.
“Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world,” he said.
According to Agarkar, the primary reason behind Pandya being overlooked for the captaincy role was the uncertainty surrounding his availability due to his history of injuries.
Suryakumar Yadav was last week named Rohit Sharma‘s successor in the T20 format for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on Saturday.
Srikkanth launched a verbal assault on Agarkar in response to the chief selector’s justification for Pandya’s snub.
“I think they have gone from the feedback of the dressing room. It must have probably been from the IPL. Fitness is something that I will not agree. He played the entire IPL. He also bowled. Yes, he might not have done well (in the IPL). That’s another issue. Mumbai Indians didn’t qualify. At the World Cup, he was the vice-captain and he played well. So, fitness is something that I won’t agree with,” Srikkanth said on YouTube channel.
“Suryakumar is a fantastic person. I like him. So is Hardik. But the reasons that they are giving they could have said it in a straightforward manner ‘we are dropping Hardik Pandya as captain, we want to move forward. We are looking at Suryakumar as a long term’. Make it clear. Say it without fear,” he added.
Pandya was Rohit’s deputy during India’s T20 World Cup triumph last month but he has suffered from fitness problems and missed the 50-over World Cup last year with an ankle injury.
“Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with,” Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai alongside new coach Gautam Gambhir.
“As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone who is likely to be available more.”
He was “still a very important player,” Agarkar said. “And that’s what we want him to be, those skill sets are hard to find.”
Agarkar explained that several factors contributed to Suryakumar’s selection. The player’s fitness level, along with positive feedback from the team management, played a crucial role in the decision-making process.
“Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world,” he said.
