Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and commentator Dinesh Karthik has criticized the BCCI and the national selectors for removing Hardik Pandya from the vice-captaincy ahead of the five-match T20I series against England starting on January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Dinesh Karthik was baffled by Hardik Pandya's removal from the Indian cricket team's vice-captaincy in T20I cricket. The cricket expert questioned why the Indian all-rounder is now no longer an automatic vice-captain choice for the white-ball formats of the game despite leading India in Rohit Sharma's absence from the T20Is last year in style regular.
Dinesh Karthik stunned by Hardik Pandya's ouster from India's T20I captaincy
Despite being a strong contender, Hardik Pandya was surprisingly overlooked for the Indian captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20I cricket, and that has already raised many eyebrows. Adding to the surprise, Pandya was not even named vice-captain after Suryakumar Yadav was named the new captain of India's T20I team last year.
At that time, Shubman Gill was named as Suryakumar's deputy for India's T20I series against Sri Lanka. Even when Gill lost his place in the T20I squad, Pandya was not selected as India's vice-captain as the BCCI and national selectors opted not to name a vice-captain for the subsequent T20I series against Bangladesh and South Africa .
And now the national selectors have taken another unexpected decision as they named Axar Patel as India's new vice-captain for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England at home, once again overlooking Hardik without any justification. Indian selectors, this move left many surprised and puzzled, including Dinesh Karthik.
Hardik Pandya's success as India T20I captain overlooked by BCCI and selectors
Recently, Dinesh Karthik expressed his shock and confusion that Hardik Pandya was overlooked from the leadership roles in the Indian cricket team. Despite delivering strong performances and leading India to bilateral series wins, Pandya's removal from India's T20I vice-captaincy has left the commentator puzzled.
Remarkably, Pandya has shown impressive leadership skills in T20I cricket in the absence of Rohit Sharma, guiding the Men in Blue to victory in 11 out of 16 matches. The Indian all-rounder has successfully led the Indian cricket team to win three of the four bilateral series and has proved his ability to deliver consistent results as captain.
Given his track record, the former Indian batsman-keeper believes Pandya deserved the captaincy in shaping India's T20I future. However, Hardik has consistently delivered for the Indian team despite stepping down from leadership roles.
I don't know why Hardik was dispossessed by his vice-captain: Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying, “I really don't know. I don't know why he (Hardik) was stripped of the vice-captaincy. I see no reason for that. They did well. They won the bilateral that he was vice-captain. Not a clue.”
Notably, when Suryakumar Yadav was named India's T20I captain, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that they need someone who is available most of the time and that's why Pandya didn't get the nod. Hardik's fitness issue played a major role in deciding his fate as captain.
It remains uncertain whether Pandya will return to the ODI squad for the upcoming series in England. He last played an ODI match in the 2023 ODI World Cup against Bangladesh in Pune before being ruled out of the tournament due to injury. However, he participated in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove his mettle for the 50-over format.