The appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as captain of the T20I team is surrounded by controversy, with people asking why Hardik Pandya was overlooked as captain. However, BCCI came forward in support by claiming that it awarded the position to Suryakumar owing to his consistency, availability, and leadership qualities.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar reiterated that he needed a captain who would be more regularly available for selection. Though Hardik Pandya has been an important player for India, fitness issues are always popping up. Agarkar further added that dressing room feedback also played its part in the selection of Suryakumar.
“We’ve been around the group over the last year, getting feedback from the dressing room,” Ajit Agarkar said. “SKY is still one of the best T20 batters in the world. One of the main issues is obviously that you want a captain who’s likely to play all the games.”
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Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha, however, brought in another dimension to this as he wrote that probably Suryakumar’s excellent relationship with the new head coach Gautam Gambhir had come in handy. After all, both cricketers share a past together in the Kolkata Knight Riders. More than that, Gambhir was their captain, with Suryakumar being his deputy.
“I am quite sure that the selectors would have thought over it,” Pragyan Ojha said. “Suryakumar has a great camaraderie with Gautam Gambhir. That understanding and that trust level is always there.”
Though many have gone with Hardik Pandya as an obvious choice, seeing his leadership acumen in the IPL, the BCCI move to go with Suryakumar Yadav does seem to be a long-term one. The selectors feel that Suryakumar’s captaincy can be developed with time and his leadership skills will meld perfectly with his brilliant batting talent.
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As Suryakumar Yadav is represented as captain in many eyes, all those eyes will be on his performance as India enters a new chapter in T20 cricket. Only the performance of the team on the ground will make this decision a success or failure.
