"Let's hope this doesn't create a rift within the team" - Fans react to Hardik Pandya's captaincy snub ahead India's Sri Lanka tour

Hardik Pandya seemed to be the frontrunner to take over India's T20I captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the format following the 2024 T20 World Cup. The talismanic all-rounder was expected to be named the new skipper, given that he was the designated vice-captain in the showpiece event.

However, the Indian selectors and team management looked in another direction, roping in dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain for the Men in Blue's upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka. The think tank indicated that Hardik isn't in their scheme of things for a leadership role, as Shubman Gill was appointed the vice-captain.

Following the announcement of the squad, several fans took to social media to express their surprise over Hardik Pandya not being named as India's new T20I skipper.

Here are some of the top reactions:

Many fans opined that Hardik should have been the obvious pick as the new T20I captain, considering that he was the vice-captain in India's 2024 T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

"Hardik pandya should have been the captain this is not a good move man." commented a fan.

"Life's so unfair if you're hardik pandya." remarked another.

"I think it's very unfair for Hardik Pandya to not become the captain of India after performing so well in this world cup!!" chimed in yet another.

It is worth mentioning that Hardik Pandya's workload management and being prone to injuries may have resulted in the selectors preferring Suryakumar Yadav over him for the captaincy role.

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Hardik Pandya is not part of India's ODI squad for Sri Lanka series

India's tour of Sri Lanka is set to be new head coach Gautam Gambhir's first assignment with the national team. Rohit Sharma will continue to captain the ODI team, while senior batter Virat Kohli will also feature in the 50-over matches.

However, Hardik Pandya won't take part in the ODI leg of the tour. Ahead of the announcement, reports surfaced that the 30-year-old has made himself unavailable for the three ODIs.

Hardik was last seen in action during the 2024 T20 World Cup. He scored 144 runs across six innings with the bat and claimed 11 wickets from eight outings at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

He did a commendable job with the ball in the final against South Africa. He bagged a three-wicket haul in the summit clash and also successfully defended 16 runs off the final over.