Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya In Big Rift Since 2024? Report Makes Explosive Claim

An explosive report claims Hardik Pandya was to become India's T20 captain in 2024 before a 'very senior' cricketer's vote backed Suryakumar Yadav. The 2 have been in a rift since.

A new twist has been added to the India T20I captaincy debate. According to a report from news agency PTI, the transition following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph after Rohit Sharma was influenced by multiple factors, and there was a close fight between Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.

The report said Pandya had been widely expected to succeed Rohit because he spent the previous year as the stand-in skipper in multiple series, as the latter focused on the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, Pandya eventually missed out on the role despite being viewed as the frontrunner.

The report stated that newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir played a significant role in the decision-making process. Gambhir’s views were said to align with those of the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, who reportedly had reservations about handing the leadership responsibilities to Pandya.

Those concerns were believed to stem, in part, from Pandya’s stint as captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Here, Pandya replaced Rohit for the job after his all-cash trade from the Gujarat Titans, and got booed at the Wankhede Stadium. Eventually, MI finished tenth in the points table.

‘Senior cricketer voted for Surya’

Another factor emerged during internal consultations. The report said a ‘very senior’ Indian cricketer voted for Suryakumar over Pandya for the captaincy, without revealing the name of the player. His endorsement strengthened the case for the Mumbai batter.

The report also suggested that Pandya and Surya have not been on good terms for over two years, which dates back to 2024.

“Within the inner circles of Indian cricket, it was an open secret that for the past two years, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav have not exactly been the best of friends in the dressing room," the report said.

The two have shared the MI dressing room for several years now. In 2026, Pandya was the skipper and Suryakumar the vice-captain, with the latter leading the team whenever the former missed a match due to injuries.

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