Will Hardik Pandya ever captain India again?
Ace all-rounder’s omission from ODI team and captaincy change raise question marks
India’s ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya seems to be stumbling from one crisis to another. When the worst seemed over after he produced a pivotal display against South Africa in the Twenty20 World Cup final, Pandya’s role in Indian white-ball cricket has again come under scrutiny.
He has been omitted from the One-Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka, which kick-starts India’s preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy. More importantly, as vice-captain of the victorious Indian World Cup team, Pandya was expected to take over the T20 captaincy from Rohit Sharma, who has retired.
Leadership changes
It didn’t happen. Suryakumar Yadav has been chosen as skipper for the three-match Twenty20 series in Pallekele, with Shubman Gill, who played under Pandya for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as the vice-captain.
Reports of his troubled marriage were doing the rounds before the Twenty20 World Cup. On Thursday, Pandya took to social media and confirmed the divorce from his wife, Natasa Stankovic.
Professional setbacks
Pandya has been in the eye of a storm in the past few months. Firstly, he was booed after being named the captain of Mumbai Indians, and the 30-year-old could not produce his best for the five-time champions, who finished at the bottom of the IPL 2024 standings.
It was a new low for Pandya, the inspirational captain who led Gujarat Titans to their maiden title in their debut season 2022. He followed it up with another strong show to reach the final the following season, only to lose to Chennai Super Kings.
A warrior’s spirit
Pandya might be out of favour, but you can never write him off. He has bounced back several times in the past. He is a warrior who will reclaim his place in the Indian ODI team. While there could be several reasons for Pandya’s omission and loss of captaincy, the main reason could be to manage Pandya’s injury and workload better.
After Gambhir was tipped to replace Rahul Dravid as head coach, several theories have been floating around. One said the new coach didn’t want any seniors on the Twenty20 team, but the Indian board had already put the change of guard in place. While announcing his retirement from Twenty20 Internationals, Virat Kohli said it was an open secret.
Similarly, a clarification from the Indian team management or the Board of Control for Cricket in India will put all speculations to rest.
Pandya is too precious to be ignored. Gambhir knows the true value of the all-rounder. For decades, India could not find a fast-bowling all-rounder after the retirement of legendary Kapil Dev. When Pandya announced his arrival on the international scene, he was hailed a perfect fit for the role. However, a career-threatening back injury in 2018 left him on the sidelines.
Comeback potential
After his comeback, Pandya has become an integral part of India’s white-ball teams. His absence was greatly felt during the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023 after an ankle injury curtailed Pandya’s participation midway through the tournament.
The T20 World Cup win signalled a turnaround in Pandya’s fortunes. Pandya claimed 11 wickets and scored 144 runs.
“It’s very emotional. Something was not clicking, and this win is what the whole nation wanted. It is special for me after my six months of trouble. I haven’t spoken a word. Things have been unfair, but I knew there would be a time I could shine. An opportunity like this makes it all the more special,” he said.
Support from legends
Indian great Sunil Gavaskar recently said Pandya can play for India in all formats. “I think in the next two months, there should be an attempt to convince Hardik Pandya to play Test cricket. If he bowls ten overs a day to go with his batting, this Indian team could become invincible, and they can surely go on to win the World Test Championship and beat Australia in Australia,” the former Indian captain told RevSportz.
Hardik has played 11 Tests for India, scoring 523 runs and bagging 17 wickets. His last Test was in 2018, against England.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Pandya dons the whites for India soon.