(July 26), Pragyan Ojha believes that Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have a long history together—ten years, to be exact—and that this may have contributed to Gambhir’s decision to take the captaincy.
Own up to it. No one anticipated Suryakumar Yadav’s elevation to captain of India in Twenty20 international cricket. The whole Indian cricket community was waiting impatiently to find out who would replace Rohit Sharma, so it was almost like the BCCI had taken everyone by surprise. Hardik Pandya was always going to be the one.
The man captained India for a full year and produced excellent results, but his chances of becoming captain were destroyed by his dreaded history of injuries and fitness issues. The fact that Hardik was not even given a chance to be India’s vice captain made it very evident from BCCI’s point of view that they no longer saw Pandya as a potential leader. What does it matter if he wins the Gujarat Titans’ first IPL championship during their debut season and then finishes second the next year?
The selectors were mostly pleased with the feedback they received from the dressing room when they decided to name Surya captain. Not only that, but he has an excellent record as India’s T20I captain, having won the team’s home match against Australia 4-1 just four days after the ODI World Cup came to an end.
However, when he discovered a long-standing relationship between Surya and the new head coach Gautam Gambhir, former India spinner Pragyan Ojha brought up an intriguing point. A very well-known figure was Gambhir’s deputy ten years ago when he guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL championship.
“You see, the T20 World Cup is in 2026. I’m sure the selectors would have given it some thought. They therefore desired someone with experience and maturity. Therefore, Suryakumar Yadav is the best. Had it been Hardik, as we had anticipated given that he served as the World Cup vice captain, there would have been less obstacles to overcome in terms of fitness. Therefore, considering all the factors, I think Surya is a great pick,” Ojha stated to OneIndia.
He’s a streetwise kind of guy. He and Gautam Gambhir have a strong friendship. They have shared the field together, and as you may recall, Surya served as KKR’s vice captain while Gauti bhai was captain. Thus, the degree of trust and understanding is constant. They reasoned that Hardik might have fitness issues. Thus, Suryakumar Yadav was the next best person.
