Captain Suryakumar Yadav gets warm hug from Hardik Pandya ahead of India vs Sri Lanka series; netizens react

Team India has reached Sri Lanka are all set to play the 3-match T20I and ODI series starting from July 27. Ahead of the series, there has been much chatter about the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain, taking over from Rohit Sharma. Notably, Hardik Pandya was the Indian 20 over captain since the 2022 T20 World Cup but the selectors decided to opt for a new skipper in this transition period.

With Surykumar Yadav taking over his old job, one would assume there would be some bad blood between the two players. However, Pandya ended all doubts about a rift with the new captain by hugging him on camera after reaching Sri Lanka for the T20 series. The video of two players sharing a warm hug was showcased in a video posted by BCCI on its official X handle with the caption, "Mumbai to Pallekele via Colombo ✈️ 🚌 #TeamIndia have reached Sri Lanka"

Ajit Agarkar on appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as new T20 captain:

Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar had explained the reason behind the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the next India T20 captain ahead of Hardik in a press conference on Monday. Agarkar had stressed on Hardik's fitness issue as the possible reason for him being out of the captaincy race.

While speaking at the press conference, Agarkar said, "Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world," Agarkar said during the joint press conference.

"You (would) want a captain that's going to be more likely to play all the games. We think he's a deserving candidate and hopefully we'll see over time how he develops into the role."The chairman of selectors said they wanted a captain with a proven fitness record and not someone who was prone to injuries as Pandya is believed to be." Agarkar added.

Netizens react to Surya - Hardik hug:

One user on X while sharing pictures from the BCCI video wrote, "Hardik Pandya hugging Surya Kumar Yadav. No jealousy"

Meanwhile, another user wrote, “He is the most secure guy in the team”