It was Hardik Pandya, who was expected to take the captaincy position of the shortest format for India. However, at the eleventh hour, Suryakumar Yadav’s name pops up as he sets to be appointed the new T20I captain for the national side ahead of Pandya.
Since the retirement of captain Rohit Sharma from the shortest format of the game, at the end of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the captaincy position is under the scanner, and it was mostly expected to be filled by the vice-captain Hardik before the new announcement came.
Along with Rohit, the two other veteran players for the blue brigade- Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja too have hung up their shoes after their glory in the Caribbean last month.
Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir to work together in Sri Lanka
It has been learned that the fitness and workload management of the India all-rounder has kept him behind the race, even after leading the national team for 16 T20Is and three ODIs, besides leading the Gujrat Titans to their maiden IPL title and captaining the Mumbai Indians.
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Hardik suffered an ankle injury during the 50-over World Cup at home against Bangladesh and was out of all actions till the start of IPL 2024, where he made the comeback to lead the Mumbai side.
The 30-year-old has featured in 100 T20Is for India, where he has managed to nail 1492 T20I runs in 77 innings, at a strike rate of over 140, with four half-centuries, besides picking up 84 wickets at an economy of 8.11.
Suryakumar Yadav, on the flip of the coin, has been a regular member for India in the shortest format of the game, since making his debut. Going into the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026, he is surely going to be a vital member of the side.
The Mumbai-born has the experience of leading his side in the domestic circuit. Recently he led the blue brigade to a 4-1 series win over a touring Australian team last November, followed by a 1-1 drawn series in South Africa.
In 65 T20I innings, Suryakumar Yadav has smashed 2340 runs at an average of over 43, with a strike rate of nearly 170, celebrating 19 half-centuries and four hundreds, at a best score of 117 runs. When it comes to his IPL record, playing for the Mumbai Indians, Sky has belted 3594 runs in 135 innings, at an average of 32.09 and a strike rate of 145.33, with 24 fifties and two centuries.
The T20Is in Sri Lanka will be the first assignment for the Indian team, under the new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who takes charge from Rahul Dravid, who helped India win their second title in the tournament.
Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav were team members when both of them used to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former has always praised the free-flow batting of the middle-order batter, which indicates a very healthy partnership between the head coach and the captain.
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Under a young captain, Shubman Gill, the new generation of the T20I team of India returned home on the back of their 4-1 series win in Zimbabwe, where they showed great composure, especially after losing the first T20I by 13 runs.
It’s understood, that the selectors will meet on Wednesday evening to finalize the Indian squad. Along with the three T20Is, they will also play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) in that Sri Lanka trip.
