Could it create a strained relationship with Hardik Pandya losing India’s vice-captaincy and likely to lead T20I captain Suryakumar Kumar at the IPL? Not at all, says Suryakumar.
Axar Patel has been given the vice-captaincy of India, and Hardik Pandya is no longer this team’s deputy. Could that affect T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s dynamics with Hardik, who, come the IPL, will be captaining Suryakumar?
Not at all, Suryakumar said on the eve of the first T20I in Kolkata. Suryakumar said he might not have the tag of vice-captain, but his “good friend” Hardik remains a key member of India’s T20I leadership group.
“The relationship with him has been great. We’ve been playing [together] for a long time. I still remember that from 2018, when I went back to Mumbai Indians [we first played together] and [it’s the same] till today,” Suryakumar told the media in Kolkata. “It’s just the added responsibility I’ve got [here]. When we return to franchise cricket, I can get to be quiet and relax for a bit.”.
“But we’ve been good friends on the field and know what we want going forward with the India team. Axar has been given that added responsibility. We saw what he did in the 2024 T20 World Cup; he’s been with the team for a long time. Hardik is also part of the leading group.
When we sit, we decide what we want to do with the team going forward, and even on the field, he is always around. We have a lot of captains on the ground.”
