India all-rounder Akshar Patel said that he was excited to play under the new regime of coach Gautam Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. The new leadership will begin their tenure with a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting July 27 in Kandy.
Suryakumar Yadav was preferred over Hardik Pandya to succeed Rohit Sharma as the new T20I captain of the Indian team. Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Akshar Patel hailed Suryakumar Yadav as a bowler’s captain and shared anecdotes about his experience with him.
"I know he (Suryakumar Yadav) is a bowler's captain. He gives the bowlers the fields they ask for. And it was like that with me, too. I don't think there will be a lot of change. We will get to know now, playing under his captaincy about his mindset. You can't judge someone's captaincy by one tour. When we play more, we will get to know more of his captaincy style," Akshar told ESPNCricinfo.
Akshar Patel played under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership when India took on Australia in a five-match T20I series right after the 2023 World Cup. Suryakumar led India to a 4-1 series win.
Beyond his captaincy, Axar also had words of praise for Surya's laid-back nature, perhaps similar to Rohit himself.
"Surya bhai is a happy-go-lucky guy. He keeps the atmosphere lively, and loves doing mimicry and such fun stuff. I know he will keep the atmosphere cool," said Akshar.
Akshar has been named in both T20I and ODI squad for India’s tour of Sri Lanka. It was surprising that Akshar was preferred over Ravindra Jadeja in ODIs, despite Jadeja having a very good outing in the 2023 World Cup.
The Gujarat all-rounder expressed that he will have a chat with Gambhir on his role in the India setup.
"With Gautam bhai, yes, we will go to Sri Lanka, there will be meetings, we will exchange a few thoughts and after that, I will get to know exactly what my role is and what he thinks. I will get more clarity on that only after that," said Patel.
India will play 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka, with the tour starting on Saturday, July 27.
