Suryakumar Yadav will make his debut as full-time India T20I captain.
Suryakumar Yadav will have the reign of the Indian T20I team post the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli era when they clash with Sri Lanka in the first of the three T20Is on July 27 in Kandy. The next two matches of the series will also be played at the same venue on July 28 and 30.
Suryakumar will take over the captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma, after being picked over Hardik Pandya for the role. Ahead of the first T20I, he emphasized that the team will maintain the aggressive style of play that was a signature of the previous captain, Rohit Sharma's tenure.
India employed a unique offensive strategy beginning with the ODI World Cup held in their home nation last year, led by Rohit Sharma. This aggressive style of cricket became the team's trademark even after the World Cup victory in the Americas when Rohit bid farewell to T20I cricket.
“The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged. Nothing changes; the brand of cricket remains the same. It (the captaincy role) doesn't change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can do a 'walk the talk',” Surya was quoted as saying by PTI.
Suryakumar expressed his desire to follow the approach that Rohit had established during his tenure as captain. He aimed to emulate the leadership style and strategies that Rohit had implemented.
"What I have learnt from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it. He was not just a captain — there is a lot of difference between the two. He was a leader who stood in the middle of the group and showed people the way. How to play T20 cricket and how to win a tournament? That is what I have learnt from him," he elaborated.
Suryakumar, who was chosen as India's captain over Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain for the T20 World Cup, claimed that Pandya's role in the team will remain unchanged.
“Hardik's role has always been the same. He is a very important player for the team. The way he performed in the World Cup, I hope he will continue to do the same,” he said.
Suryakumar highlighted his wish for emerging talents such as Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh to demonstrate their abilities and perform well in the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka. He believes that these young players can have a huge impact on the series.
“Three players have retired (and) it will be difficult to fill the shoes. But new players have obviously practiced a lot and played a lot. They are already doing well when they play franchise cricket and they have also done very well in the matches they played for India. I have a lot of faith in them that they will do well,” Surya said.
Suryakumar Yadav, reflecting on his history, said that he had experienced a considerable transition over the last decade. It was a moment when he resigned as captain of the Mumbai team owing to unacceptable behavior toward his teammates during matches.
“I think it is a complete swap. If you say 2014, it is almost 10 years now. In 10 years, a lot of things will change. You become a different person altogether. You get to learn a lot of things. I am also a completely changed man now. In 2016, I got married. So, absolutely, you have to change after that as well. But yeah, things are completely different now,” Surya added.
Once again, Suryakumar underlined the influence of Rohit on him.
“I got to learn a lot of things from different captains I played under and obviously, Rohit Sharma, I have been playing with him for the last six years. There are a lot of learnings taken from him and in my own style, we will take the ship forward,” he said.
Suryakumar Yadav also showed eagerness to work with Gautam Gambhir, his former captain in KKR, and take the Indian team to new heights.
“Our bond has always been special. We have talked a lot. We both understand what we want to say just by our body language. Sometimes, even without expressing anything, we understand what each of us wants to say. I am very excited about this journey. Let's see what happens,” he said.
(PTI inputs)