- In India, three critical topics evoke strong and passionate reactions from the citizens and showcase in no uncertain terms how most of us are intricately involved in those. I am referring to cricket, movies, and of course, politics. And most of us would vouch that of the three, cricket is considered no less than a religion in the country where everyone assumes the role of an expert while dissecting the sport minutely. Such strong reactions emanating from die-hard fans of cricket are a common phenomenon whenever Team India is in the thick of the action. Win or lose, expect desi experts to have a say uninhibitedly. Even the team selection evokes varied but strong viewpoints from local pundits about the possible combination/composition.
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- We know how Team India displayed remarkable consistency to cross the hurdle by lifting the recently concluded T20 World Cup after a wait of almost 13 years. Soon after the title triumph, three of the marquee performers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from the T20 internationals. Mind you, Rohit Sharma was the captain in all three formats. His retirement from T20Is prompted the BCCI officials to look out for a replacement in the shortest version of the game. Remember, Gautam Gambhir is a newly minted head coach of Team India whose assignment will commence with the ensuing tour of Sri Lanka. Naturally, the search for captaincy with input from the head coach was truly proving to be intriguing.
- Cricket fans are aware that Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain when Team India won the recent T20 World Cup. Thus, many believed that Pandya would be the natural successor to lead Team India in the shortest format. The BCCI and the head coach had a different plan though since the decision was made to appoint mercurial batter Suryakumar Yadav as the captain. The moot point to ponder over here is why the powers-that-be favored SKY rather than allrounder Pandya to helm the team’s fortunes in the slam-bang variety. The answers are not that difficult to find as Pandya is injury-prone, often breaking down with one or the other injuries in the last few years. Pandya has missed several marquee tournaments owing to the injury sustained.
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- The absence of a captain for a prolonged period would not only create a vacuum in the team but also would erect obstacles harming the continuity aspect. Moreover, Pandya appears to have lost the firepower while batting which he was once known for. The strike rate isn’t exactly exciting even though he has started to bowl the quota of four overs quite consistently. SKY has been successful in notching up victories as a captain on a couple of occasions showcasing his skills as a captain. Keeping these aspects in mind, the BCCI has appointed SKY to lead the team in T20s allowing Pandya the player to freely express himself on the field. Many cricket fans and experts would vouch that SKY is the best bet to carry forward the legacy of Team India in the T20Is.
