When the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) announced the ODI and T20I squads for the India tour of Sri Lanka, the entire cricketing fraternity was shellshocked to see Surya Kumar Yadav replace Hardik Pandya as the T20I captain.
Notably, Rohit Sharma had called it quits from this format post the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 win and India needed a new captain. Hardik was in the pipeline as he was captaining India post the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and has also won an Indian Premier League (IPL) title in his very first year as captain.
But it was India’s most dependable and versatile T20I player, Surya Kumar Yadav, who was appointed as captain.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Surya Kumar Yadav can be a good captain of Team India in T20Is:
1. Prolific run-scorer
Surya Kumar Yadav is a prolific run-scorer and has been the backbone of the Indian cricket team in this format. He has 4 T20I hundreds under his belt and is the number 2 T20I batter in the world.
Yadav can marshal the Indian troops extremely well and can be a very dependable captain. As he can play some good knocks, he will be able to lead the team with example.
2. Strikes a chord with Head Coach Gautam Gambhir
Both Gautam Gambhir and Surya Kumar Yadav have played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the past and they share a good bond. Yadav played under the astute captaincy of Gambhir from 2014-2017 and used to finish games really well for KKR.
Since the duo have an understanding and camaraderie between themselves, they can help Indian cricket, move forward in the right direction.
3. Good record as captain
Surya Kumar Yadav has led India in 2 T20I series and India have won them both. Post the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, India had played a 5-match T20I series with Australia and it was under Surya Kumar’s leadership, that India trounced Australia, 4-1.
In that very month, India had played an away series with South Africa and India had levelled the series, 1-1 with the Proteas. Therefore, Surya Kumar Yadav has already stamped his authority and is no stranger to leadership.
The 33-year-old cricketer will have a young and dynamic cricket team at this disposal and will be looking to take Indian cricket forward.
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