Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes the selectors made the right decision in appointing Suryakumar Yadav as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies as well. However, India will face the Windies in five T20Is, with the first game taking place in Tarouba on August 3. The selectors named a 15-member Indian squad where Hardik Pandya was named as the captain and Suryakumar as his deputy.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “The Indian team has been selected for the T20I series against West Indies. Hardik Pandya is the captain and Suryakumar Yadav is the vice-captain. Giving him the vice-captaincy is right because of the way he has performed. It’s not just the seniority in the side but if you see otherwise as well, he had come with a lot of cricketing experience. He has been a late bloomer slightly but vice-captain, I think a very good choice.”
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However, Suryakumar has smashed 1675 runs which came at an outstanding strike rate of 175.76 in 46 T20I innings. He has amassed 6503 runs at an impressive strike rate of 151.69 in 258 T20 games. Aakash Chopra also feels Hardik Pandya continuing as captain means he is likely to lead India until next year’s T20 World Cup as well.
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“Hardik Pandya, who had been given the captaincy after the T20 World Cup – it seems like that’s now a final fixture, that Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian T20 team for times to come, which means until the upcoming World Cup. I feel they had already moved in that direction and it is still the same, nothing has changed. None of the seniors have been picked. KL Rahul is unavailable but now it is extended that you have not played Rohit and Kohli since the World Cup,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
