It's a tough time going for Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, as has reportedly lost the T20I captaincy race to Suryakumar Yadav because of the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on July 18 the ODI and T20I squads for the Sri Lankan white-ball tour.

They have named Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I captain, overlooking Pandya for the Sri Lanka tour. However, he has been named in the T20I squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, starting on July 27.

It is being said that Pandya's request for a break from the upcoming three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka due to personal reasons led him to lose the opportunity to lead Team India in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Notably, Gambhir recently emphasized the players' participation across all three formats of the game. The Indian head coach argued that if players are in good form, they should be utilized in all three formats of the game for the national side.

He believes that managing injuries and recovery should not limit a player's participation. He also stressed that professional cricketers don't have a longer career these days, so they should seize every opportunity to play for the national teams.

According to Cricbuzz, Hardik Pandya's decision to skip the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka may have influenced the selection committee and Gambhir's decision to appoint Suryakumar as India's T20I captain for the Sri Lanka tour.

The report claimed that Pandya was not appointed T20I captain despite being named in the squad because he wanted to skip the ODI series in Sri Lanka. It is also being said that both chief selectors Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir discussed with Pandya the importance of being available for all formats of the game and the consequences of his absence for the Sri Lanka ODIs.