A fit Hardik Pandya is a blessing for any team. While the Indian team management would have wanted the Baroda all-rounder to blossom as an all-format player, his exploits are only restricted to white-ball cricket only. But, his demotion from the vice-captain of the T20I side, for the IND vs ENG T20I series have raised a lot of questions over the acumen of the selectors.
No Vice-captaincy for Hardik Pandya
Surprisingly enough, Axar Patel has been chosen as the deputy of Suryakumar Yadav, who officially took over from Rohit Sharma, after the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. While Axar has been a good enough player for India across formats, one is yet to see his prowess as the leader of the team.
For now, former India opener Aakash Chopra is impressed by the decision for sure, questioning the selectors’ choice. In a tweet, he minced no words, and said that, the decision-makers needed to explain the move. “It’s a development that needs an official word,” Chopra wrote on X. “He (Pandya) was leading India in Rohit’s absence. Now, he’s not even the VC. I’d like to hear from the selectors about their thought process.”
Why Axar Patel over Hardik?
- Shashank Singh’s PBKS playing XI for IPL 2025 opener: Josh Inglis to open, Maxwell at no. 5
- “Someone like Patidar…”: Ex-CSK star tells RCB skipper leading IPL side is tougher than captaining India
- Jitesh Sharma reveals why RCB snubbed Virat Kohli for captaincy in IPL 2025
Meanwhile, to give the benefit of doubt to the selectors, the only reason why Hardik Pandya could have been removed from the job, would be to reduce to workload. The all-rounder is quite injury prone, and had been out for a sizeable time when he picked up a freak injury during the ICC World Cup 2023, in the match vs Bangladesh.
