Agarkar emphasized that while Hardik remains a crucial player for the team, his fitness challenges influenced the decision. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently named Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain of the T20I team, with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup. The top-ranked T20I batter was chosen over Hardik Pandya to succeed Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format following India's T20 World Cup victory last month in Barbados. "Regarding Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him... Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we've seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup... We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah we've spoken to him," Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors said in the press conference, addressing why the star batter was preferred over Hardik Pandya.