Hardik appointed as vice-captain of India
2024.05.03
Regarding Hardik Pandya’s selection as Team India’s vice captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Ajit Agarkar has expressed his opinions.
Ajit Agarkar, chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with captain Rohit Sharma, addressed questions regarding the team selection at a press conference two days after India announced their squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Of particular interest was the choice to start Hardik Pandya in the lineup.
In addition to earning a spot in the national team for the forthcoming competition, Hardik—who is leading the Mumbai Indians (MI) through a difficult Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season—also took on the position of vice captain, a move that surprised a lot of observers.
Hardik has failed to live up to expectations during his leadership position with Mumbai in the current IPL season, especially when it comes to his bowling game. He has bowled twenty-three overs in eight of the 10 matches, taking just six wickets at an economy rate of eleven. In the IPL 2024, Hardik has amassed 197 runs at a strike rate of 150.38 and an average of 21.89 while batting. Notably, in the current season, he has not yet reached fifty runs. The last time Hardik played for India in an international match was during the ODI World Cup in October 2023 against Bangladesh.
Hardik Pandya’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2024 team is discussed by Ajit Agarkar.
In response, Agarkar said there had not been any talks on the vice captaincy. He provided further details on Hardik’s form throughout the conference, highlighting his potential and significance to the group. Relying on his comeback after an extended injury layoff, Agarkar downplayed Hardik’s uneven IPL 2024 performance.
Not really, though. There was no conversation about vice captain. Everyone should be in excellent form, right? The good news is that we have a month and a half, and he has completed all of the MI games. We hope he continues to improve on that form because we know he is doing it. I do not believe that anything can take the place of what he is capable of. He provides balance to the club and allows Rohit the opportunity to play with various lineups. Thankfully, he has performed admirably thus far in the IPL, Agarkar was cited by Hindustan Times as adding.
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