Hardik Pandya joins Gautam Gambhir on team bus as captain Suryakumar Yadav takes backseat for India’s SL tour

PTC News Desk: The Indian cricketers were in a cheerful mood during their first practise session under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, notably T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The cricketers seemed to benefit greatly from the rest following the T20 World Cup, as they returned to the team for the three T20I and three ODI matches in Sri Lanka. The Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) will start the tour on July 27 and the ODIs on August 2.

This tour of Sri Lanka is a new beginning for Indian cricket in many aspects. Following their thrilling victory in the T20 World Cup—their first ICC title in eleven years—Rahul Dravid’s time as head coach came to an end. Veteran players Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli, along with captain Rohit Sharma, declared their retirement from the shortest format.

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— BCCI (@BCCI) July 23, 2024

The immediate duty of selecting a new captain for the Twenty20 Internationals fell to the selectors and new coach Gambhir. Though it was difficult, they chose to start Suryakumar Yadav over vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who led India to victory in the T20 World Cup, because they believed Surya had a greater chance of avoiding injuries and being ready for as many games as possible.

During Inda’s first nets session in Pallekele on Tuesday, there was no indication of any anxiety surrounding it. The majority of the training session focused on one-on-one conversations, running, and catching. Additionally, Captain Suryakumar Yadav engaged in conversation with the players. Gambhir was observed conversing with all-rounder Shivam Dube and offering some batting advice to Sanju Samson.

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The players who would begin for India instead of Rohit and Kohli, Shubman Gill and Yashavi Jaiswal, took a lengthy hit in the nets. Hardik and new assistant coach Abhishek Nayar practiced match simulations for a while. He and Ryan ten Doeschate are the two assistant coaches that Gambhir has selected to his support staff.

Almost all of the Indian cricket players took turns hitting the nets during the nearly three-hour-long workout.

Following the practice, the players cautiously entered the team bus, where an intriguing incident was recorded by the YouTube channel Sports Fact Real.

One by one, the players got aboard the van, but coach Gambhir sat in the front with Hardik at his side. Hardik took a seat on the left wing of the bus, while Gambhir took the island seat on the right. They both appeared to be in a playful mood. They even laughed together, indicating a strong sense of teamwork. Gambhir was seated just behind Abhishek Nayar.

The footage did not show Suryakumar Yadav’s seat, but it looked like he was seated in the back of the bus.

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