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Indian cricketer turned commentator Akash Chopra has sought clarity on Hardik Pandya’s leadership role in the Indian cricket team. After India’s ICC T20 World Cup triumph in June, Hardik was expected to succeed Rohit Sharma as T20I captain following the latter’s retirement.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya was the man to lead India in T20I cricket. The all-rounder had a great spell, winning five out of six T20Is as India’s captain. But at the last minute, BCCI named Suryakumar Yadav as India’s new T20I captain for Sri Lanka. series.
Aakash Chopra seeks clarity on Hardik Pandya’s role in the Indian cricket team
recently, Axar Patel was named vice-captain for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, raising questions as to why Hardik is no longer considered for the leadership. 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 asked why Hardik Pandya is being ignored for leadership roles in the Indian cricket team. Highlighting his performance as both a player and captain, Chopra said he is confident that Hardik will surely play in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
What has happened to Hardik Pandya?: Aakash Chopra on BCCI
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “What has happened to Hardik Pandya? No one thinks or talks about him. What exactly has happened to him? He will definitely go to the Champions Trophy. He brings that balance. He had a Cup of the World T20s. He captained India in 6 T20Is. When Rohit was unavailable, he used to be the captain.”
Also, the cricket expert has expressed his surprise as to what exactly happened that Hardik Pandya was completely off the captaincy radar as he is not even the vice-captain anymore. He emphasized that it is unfair to judge Hardik after a poor IPL season as Mumbai Indians captain.
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Aakash Chopra further elaborated, “Suddenly what has happened? He is not even the vice-captain. It is not being talked about. Mumbai Indians had a bad reason, but you cannot blame Hardik for that. Even if performance and his captaincy was bad, it has nothing to do with Indian cricket.”
Aakash Chopra says Indian captaincy does not depend on IPL performance
The former India batsman also pointed out that the captaincy of the Indian team is not decided on the basis of the IPL captaincy, so he does not understand what is going on with Pandya. Chopra feels that it should be clear whether Hardik can be considered for the captaincy as the Indian cricket team is likely to have three different captains in the future.
Chopra signed off by saying, “The captaincy of the Indian team is not decided on the basis of the captaincy of the franchise. If it was, the matter would have been different. There have been so many captains who have led India despite the his franchise was doing nothing in the IPL. We seem to be heading for different captains in all three formats. Hardik is not even the vice-captain, and it’s a bit surprising.”
