MUMBAI: In professional life, one of the tougher setbacks to deal with is to be superceded in promotion. It is even more difficult if it happens in full public view. Hardik Pandya knows that better than most.

Captain-in-waiting for a long time, the all-rounder was the favourite to take over the India T20 team’s reigns from Rohit Sharma after returning as a hero from the 2024 World Cup. Things didn’t go as per the script. Concerns over his fitness went against him and hurt his chances of being seen as a full-time captaincy option. The honour instead went to Suryakumar Yadav.

Pandya had been the T20 captain of the Indian team since the 2022 T20 World Cup and was also the vice-captain of Rohit Sharma’s World Cup-winning side in June.

While the spotlight has been on the new captain and new coach Gautam Gambhir as India begin a new era in T20 cricket, the cricket fraternity has also been keenly following the fortunes of Pandya in the series in Sri Lanka.

The player who was expected to be the captain, boarded the flight for Sri Lanka as just another player. The fear, in such a case, is that the setbacks may break a player. There is no greater precious commodity in Indian cricket than a pace bowling all-rounder and there’s real danger of the team losing such a valuable asset.

While the rest of his teammates had a lot to look forward to playing against Sri Lanka after the World Cup high, the Baroda player had the challenge of putting behind the disappointment of being overlooked for the top job and perform.

The signs were not good in the first game when he was taken for runs in bowling (41 runs in four overs) and struggled with the bat too (9 off 10 balls). However, in the second T20, Pandya allayed fears with a decisive contribution.

In Sunday’s game at Pallekele, he first delivered with the ball when he was summoned by captain Surya with Sri Lanka having got off to a strong start. With the hosts being 130/2 in 15 overs, the pacer struck a double blow in the 16th over to trigger a collapse.

Off the first ball of the over, he had Kamindu Mendis caught at deep square-leg and on the last ball dismissed Kusal Perera in similar fashion. Pandya would have got Perera (53 runs off 34 balls) earlier in his first over itself, the 14th of the innings, but Rinku Singh slipped at the edge of the square-leg boundary and ended up parrying the ball away for six.

From 130/2, Sri Lanka collapsed to 161/9 in 20 overs. Pandya followed his bowling performance with a good hand with the bat, smacking 22 not out off nine balls to take India to the revised target of 78 in 6.3 overs and secure a seven-wicket victory in the rain-shortened match.

Pandya thus once again showed that he is made of sterner stuff. It was a commendable performance for the all-rounder who even lost his vice-captaincy post in both the white-ball formats. Not only did the Indian selectors name Surya as the T20 team captain for the series against Sri Lanka, they also named Shubman Gill as his deputy.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of Sri Lanka series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had pointed to Pandya’s fitness issues. “Hardik Pandya is a very important player, we have seen it in the World Cup and we need him, but his fitness is a big challenge now. I think we can manage him better. He is still part of our team,” said Agarkar.

To perform consistently and clear doubts about his fitness, former India coach Ravi Shastri feels it will be best for Pandya to play as many T20 matches as possible. Shastri said it will be the route for Pandya to get back into India’s one-day side ahead of the next Champions Trophy.

“I think (it’s) very important that he continues to play,” Shastri said while speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan in the latest edition of The ICC Review. “I believe match fitness is very important. So whatever T20I cricket there is, he should play as much as he can. And if he feels strong and fit, then obviously he comes into the side for the one-day game as well,” said Shastri.

“But then again, the bowling becomes important. If you have someone coming and bowling just three overs in where you have to bowl 10 in a one-day game, then the balance of the side takes a hit. If you can bowl consistently eight to 10 overs every game and then bat the way he does, I think he’ll play in one-day cricket as well.”

Shastri observed that Pandya’s recent performances will instill confidence and inspire him.

“He understands his body better than anyone. And I’m sure, this will inspire him, especially with the way he did in the World Cup, the way he performed at the right times for India and the World Cup, so that should really get him going. He shouldn’t need any motivation to get his fitness right at the top there.”

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