Sunil Gavaskar says Hardik Pandya is irreplaceable, urges India to build different combination

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged team management and selectors not to look for a direct replacement for injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He argued that Pandya’s unique blend of batting, bowling and leadership cannot be substituted like-for-like, and that India should instead build flexible, multi-dimensional combinations that can adapt to different formats and match situations. With Pandya’s injury history and workload considerations, Gavaskar’s stance emphasizes depth over a single successor, encouraging the identification of several versatile players who can contribute with bat, ball and in the field as required. The comments come amid ongoing discussions about squad balance for limited-overs and longer formats, and how to manage availability within a congested international calendar. Analysts view Gavaskar’s position as aligning with a broader trend toward stronger bowling depth and adaptable batting orders, rather than banking on one star all-rounder to drive results. If adopted, the approach would push selectors and coaches to rotate personnel and cultivate specialists who can seamlessly fill Pandya’s roles when he is unavailable, ensuring India’s tactical flexibility remains intact across formats.