Colombo, July 25: Rival team members and former players playing typical mind games prior, or during a series are no more new in global cricket.
Earlier, the Aussies, English and Pakistanis were experts in that aspect of cricket. But now days, it has become bit more regular and almost all major cricket playing nations adapt such tactics.
Prior to an overseas series, opposition team targeting key players of the rival side, or trying to demoralise their opponents have become routine affairs in modern day cricket.
There are hundreds of such instances. Taking that list further forward, former Sri Lanka cricketer Russel Arnold has made a remark about why India preferred Suryakumar Yadav over Hardik Pandya, as World Cup winning skipper Rohit Sharma's successor in the T20I format.
Arnold presumed that Hardik's performance as IPL franchise Mumbai Indians skipper in the 2024 season, is expected to be a key reason for him being overlooked for leading India in the T20I format.
He stated that as MI skipper, neither Hardik could take the team with him, nor he could command the team's respect as the new skipper. That might have prompted the Indian selectors to prefer Suryakumar as Rohit's successor in the T20I format.
However, Arnold agreed that both Hardik and Surya are very talented and extremely capable cricketers, who have fashioned several wins for the teams they have played.
Interestingly, Indian senior team's chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar has revealed in a recent press meet that apart from Hardik's fitness concerns, dressing room feedback was the other consideration for them while choosing Surya as the new T20I captain.
Arnold wished Surya to excel as the new skipper and carry forward the fine works by his predecessors. But Arnold surely has once again raised the Hardik-Suryakumar captaincy debate just before the India-Sri Lanka T20I series in the island nation.
Worth mentioning that Hardik was the Mumbai Indians skipper in IPL 2024 season and Surya was a player under him. Hardik had moved from Gujarat Titans to MI.
After Hardik's switchover to MI, the Gujarat franchise, which won the title under him (Hardik) in 2022 edition, had appointed Shubman Gill as their new skipper.
Interestingly, Gill has been appointed as the Team India Vice Captain for both the ODIs and the T20Is for the Sri Lanka tour.
