Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has sought clarity on Hardik Pandya's leadership role in the Indian cricket team. After India's triumph in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June, Hardik was expected to succeed Rohit Sharma as the T20I captain following the latter's retirement.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya has been the man to lead India in T20I cricket. The all-rounder had an excellent spell, winning five out of six T20I games as India's captain. But at the last minute, BCCI named Suryakumar Yadav as India's new T20I captain for the Sri Lanka series.
Aakash Chopra seeks clarity on Hardik Pandya's role in the Indian cricket team
Axar Patel was recently named vice-captain for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, raising questions as to why Hardik is no longer being considered for the captaincy. However, the Indian all-rounder is still part of the T20I squad for the upcoming home series against England.
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Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra questioned why Hardik Pandya is being overlooked for leadership roles in the Indian cricket team. Highlighting his performance as both a player and a captain, Chopra said he is confident that Hardik will definitely play in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
What happened to Hardik Pandya?: Aakash Chopra to BCCI
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “What happened to Hardik Pandya? Nobody thinks or talks about him. What exactly happened to him? He will definitely go to the Champions Trophy. He brings that balance. He had an exceptional T20 World Cup. He is the captain of Mumbai Indians. He led India in 6 T20I series and won five of them. When Rohit was not available, Hardik was the captain.”
Moreover, the cricket expert expressed his shock at what exactly happened that Hardik Pandya is completely out of the captain's radar as he is not even the vice-captain anymore. He pointed out that it is unfair to judge Hardik after a poor IPL season as Mumbai Indians captain.
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Aakash Chopra further explained, “All of a sudden, what happened? He's not even vice-captain. They don't talk about him. Mumbai Indians had a bad reason but you can't blame Hardik for that. Even though his performance and captaincy was bad, it has nothing to do with Indian cricket.”
Aakash Chopra says Indian captain is not dependent on IPL performance
The former India batsman also noted that the captaincy of the Indian team is not decided on the basis of the IPL captaincy, so it is beyond his understanding what is happening with Pandya. Chopra feels that there should be clarity on whether Hardik can be considered for the captaincy going forward as the Indian cricket team is likely to have three different captains going forward.
Chopra signed off saying, “Indian team captaincy is not decided on the basis of franchise captaincy. If that had been the case, the matter would have been different. There have been so many captains who have led India despite their franchise not doing anything in the IPL. It looks like we are heading for different captains in all three formats. Hardik is not even the vice-captain and it is a bit surprising.”