The Sri Lanka series will mark the dawn of a new era in Indian cricket as head coach Gautam Gambhir will officially begin his tenure along with the new T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir will be expected to take the legacy left behind by Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma forward, who led the team to their second T20 World Cup triumph after 17 years. Gautam Gambhir took over the head coach duties after guiding KKR to their third IPL title in 2024 under his mentorship.
Suryakumar Yadav beat a hot field recently when he was announced as Rohit Sharma’s successor as India’s T20I captain and the star batter won’t have to wait long to show his wares with the side about to embark on a three-match series against Sri Lanka away from home.
Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I skipper
When Suryakumar Yadav was announced as the captain for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, almost three years after joining the Indian team, it felt like the perfect timing for him to step into the leadership position. In the 2014-15 domestic cricket season, Mumbai appointed Suryakumar Yadav as their captain.
But it ended on a sour note as reports about his hot-headed avatar leading to indiscipline made the rounds. But in 2019, the year, he flicked a switch in his life, Suryakumar Yadav got back the Mumbai captaincy role and would lead Mumbai in 16 T20 games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from that year till 2021.
In his brief leadership role as India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav was the second-highest run-getter in the 4-1 series win over Australia held quickly after the ODI World Cup was over. he then led India to a 1-1 draw in South Africa, where he smashed 56 and 100 in the chances he got to bat.
With these experiences under the belt, Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India once again in T20I series in Sri Lanka. However Ravi Shastri, former Indian cricketer and commentator believes Suryakumar Yadav can prosper as India’s T20I captain, but has warned the 33-year-old that he will need to quickly work out how to juggle India’s bevy of bowling options.
Ravi Shastri decodes Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I captaincy style ahead of SL series
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has dissected how Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I captaincy style ahead of beginning his tenure with the series against Sri Lanka. The former Team India all-rounder sees Suryakumar being in a great position to lead the side. He claimed that the batter’s leadership style will match his vibrant personality.
The Mumbai-born cricketer pipped Hardik Pandya to be appointed as the T20I skipper. He replaced Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format after the World Cup last month. The right-hander has captained the Men in Blue in eight T20Is, winning five, with one ending as no result.
In the episode of the ICC Review, Shastri reflected that Suryakumar Yadav is an outright match-winner and the way he bats should show in his captaincy style. He said:
“We know he is street smart…he is one of the best T20 players in the world at the moment. He is a match-winner on his own, walks into the team day in, day out in that format of the game on his own steam, so I think it’s not a bad idea at all.
“I think it’ll [captaincy style] be much like his personality, the way he plays the game. He’ll be thinking very quickly and the fact that he knows all these players, even the senior players, I think he’ll be in a great position to handle the team.”
The 33-year-old played crucial knocks in the T20 World Cup 2024 against Australia, Afghanistan, and England. However, the most memorable moment was the catch he took of David Miller in the final against South Africa in Barbados as India won the game.
Ravi Shastri on what must be Suryakumar Yadav’s focus in SL series
Shastri went on to claim that Suryakumar Yadav must understand the bowlers’ strengths and weaknesses to shuffle them accordingly. The 62-year-old added:
“One thing that he (Suryakumar) will have to learn from his side, is what are the strengths of his bowlers and what are the limitations. I never say a bowler has a weakness, I say a limitation and then there are strengths. And then focus on the right things and set fields accordingly. I think that’s what he will have to learn.”
The Men in Blue will also play three ODIs after the three T20is against Sri Lanka, with the first T20I scheduled on Saturday, July 27.