Former cricketer Mohammed Kaif has heaped praise on India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, describing him as the most suitable replacement for Rohit Sharma.
Suryakumar was handed captaincy after Rohit hung up his boots from T20Is following the T20 World Cup triumph last year.
Since taking over as full-time captain, Suryakumar has led India in 23 T20I matches, winning 19 of them.
Kaif lauded Surya for his mature handling of the situation in the Pakistan game, which was embroiled in controversy after the Mumbaikar refrained from shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, at the toss.
“With the bat, he produced the winning hit, went unbeaten, and the way he replied to the media, talked about the things that show he has the ability as a skipper. The things that need to be taken care of on the day. Such a big game between India and Pakistan, and he turned out to be a true leader fairly. So, I do not doubt in my mind that he is a proper replacement for Rohit Sharma as skipper. The way he smiles while talking, his bat always does the talking,” Kaif said in a video shared on his Instagram account.
Kaif also hailed Suryakumar’s proficient usage of all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma in the Pakistan match that India won by seven wickets to qualify for the Super 4s.
“Captaincy is brilliant. Hardik Pandya is bowling with the new ball; Abhishek Sharma is also bowling one or two overs in the middle. He’s managed things rightly. As captain, he has led in 24 matches and won 20 [actually 19 matches, excluding a tie] games. I do not doubt that he is on the way to becoming a great leader,” Kaif added.
India will face Oman in their final group-stage in Abu Dhabi on Friday (September 19), while the Men in Blue will open their Super 4 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday (September 21) in Dubai.
