Suryakumar Yadav is on the verge of becoming India’s new T20I captain. Though Hardik Pandya was being looked upon to succeed Rohit Sharma as captain, with his experience, the selectors and the new head coach Gautam Gambhir are a little wary about his fitness. The team management would also like to keep him fresh by not burdening him with extra responsibility, particularly as he could be in line for Test cricket as well in away games if he continues to keep fit.
He has led Mumbai in domestic cricket and captained India in a five-match series against Australia in 2023. He also led the team in the series against South Africa, which the visitors ended up drawing 1-1.
With a calm head on his shoulders amidst chaos, Suryakumar has turned out to be an important player for India in this format. Well, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is already looking to add more responsibility into his role with zest since he can make it big as a leader.
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Though it won’t be a surprise if Pandya is confirmed as the new T20I captain, with selectors recently meeting him and the details not yet revealed, the possibility of Pandya leading the national side is more, but the inclination is slightly towards Suryakumar with the possible misgivings regarding Pandya’s ability to play all the matches in view of his workload management.
SuryaKumar yadav to appoint new T20I captain.(espn Cricinfo)
Throwback when sky sacrificed his wicket for Rohit Sharma. No Rohit fan can hate surya 🤍 pic.twitter.com/Ybt7mXucYW
— Prathmesh. (@45Fan_Prathmesh) July 16, 2024
According to ESPNcricinfo, the panel of selectors will meet on Wednesday, July 17, to finalize the squad for the campaign against Sri Lanka. Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah is likely to get rest, with other members from the T20 World Cup squad expected to be inducted.
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It is reported that Gautam Gambhir wants all senior players back on board for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which may not be possible. Presently, KL Rahul seems to lead the race in ODI leadership, but BCCI is considering either Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant. The idea is to groom some younger player who could take over from Rohit Sharma later.
As of now, no confirmation has come on the supporting staff for Gambhir. Virtually less than 10 days are left for the series to take off, and as such, the BCCI needs to show great urgency if this team is to be fully prepared.
