As per reports, Suryakumar Yadav is set to be appointed as the next T20I skipper ahead of Hardik Pandya. Here, we take a look at three reasons why Gautam Gambhir might have picked SKY over Hardik as the next T20I skipper.
Hardik was in the race to become the skipper of Team India. However, Gautam Gambhir seems to have alternate ideas. SKY is now ahead in the race to become the captain.
1) SKY appears more calm compared to Hardik Pandya
Suryakumar Yadav’s demeanour is one of the reasons why Gautam Gambhir might have picked SKY over Hardik as the next T20I skipper. Hardik can, at times, loose his cool and allow his patience to get ahead of him. On the other hand, SKY appears more calmer on the field. This could be an important aspect of the T20 format. Hence, SKY could have been picked ahead of Hardik.
2) Hardik’s fitness issues might have forced Gambhir to look at SKY as the T20I skipper
India needs stability in this role. Hardik’s fitness history suggests that he might get injured or might have to take frequent breaks. This will not allow consistency in the role of the skipper since SKY is likely to play all the T20 games leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. Hence, Gambhir could have taken this decision.
3) A batter as the skipper would be a better idea
Hardik Pandya is an all-rounder and on his day, he can be the third pacer for the side. At times, emotions could take over him and Hardik might take it upon himself to do the job. That happened with Mumbai Indians and it did not help the franchise. As a general rule, the management might have wanted a batter for the role and the next best option available was SKY.
