Hardik Pandya demoted? Why T20 World Cup hero was replaced by Shubman Gill as vice-captain for Sri Lanka series

With Rohit bidding farewell to T20I cricket, Hardik was expected to take over the captaincy reins from the veteran Indian opener. Hardik replaced Rohit as the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. Following the arrival of head coach Gautam Gambhir, all-rounder Hardik was not considered for the high-profile post. Hardik’s MI teammate and former world no.1 batter, Suryakumar Yadav, emerged as a dark horse to succeed Rohit as the new T20I captain of the Indian side in the build-up to India’s squad announcement for the Sri Lanka series.

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Shubman Gill replaced Hardik Pandya as India’s vice-captain

On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not only announced India’s twin squads but the apex board also confirmed Suryakumar as the new T20I captain. While Suryakumar succeeded Rohit as the new leader of the Men In Blue, Hardik was replaced by Shubman Gill for the vice-captain post. Gill has been named India’s vice-captain for the One Day International (ODI) and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Hardik to take break during Sri Lanka ODI series

Gill has been promoted to the deputy post after the premier batter guided India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe. Gill captained the second-string side of the VVS Laxman-coached in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The star batter has been the second-highest run scorer in the 50-over format since the beginning of 2023. Missing out on the T20I captaincy in the Sri Lanka series, Hardik also lost his vice-captaincy position to Gill. Hardik will miss the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka series due to personal reasons. The former vice-captain will feature only as an all-rounder in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Hardik’s fitness concerns and workload management may have been the reasons behind the Indian think tank’s decision to pick Suryakumar as the next T20I captain. Hardik has captained India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is. The all-rounder suffered an ankle injury at the ODI World Cup last year. Hardik only managed to make his return to competitive cricket after a long injury layoff at the Indian Premier League (IPL).