Sanjay Bangar, the former Indian cricketer, reportedly stated that Hardik Pandya will feel "deeply hurt" after not being included as India's T20I captain for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Not too long ago, the Board of Control for Cricket in India appointed Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain and declared Shubman Gill as the white-ball vice-captain for both the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. This really comes as a surprise, for Pandya was being fast-tracked to be the de facto captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma from the 2022 T20 World Cup onwards.
While speaking on Star Sports, Bangar said, "I am a bit surprised as far as Hardik not being the captain of the T20 team is concerned because even before the previous T20 World Cup it seemed like if Rohit hadn't become the captain and Hardik hadn't gotten injured at that time, Hardik only would have become the captain."
While Bangar did acknowledge Suryakumar Yadav's capabilities, he admitted that the decision could be seen as an "injustice" towards Pandya. He added, "The Indian team had started going in that direction. The selectors had also found that path. I find this sudden U-turn slightly troubling. We have certainly read that the chairman of the selection committee and the coach have spoken to Hardik Pandya."
Bangar focussed on the fact that Pandya would be deeply hurt due to the decision, though understanding the selectors' and coach' perspective. "As a player you're always understanding what the selectors are trying to do, what the new coach is trying to do but deep within himself I'm pretty sure that Hardik will be deeply hurt that he's not being considered for T20 captaincy," Bangar said.
Pandya is all set to feature in the T20I series against Sri Lanka commencing on July 27.
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