Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka in what will be Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as the new head coach of the team. (More Cricket News)
BCCI on Thursday revealed India's squads for the Sri Lanka tour where India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs. Suryakumar was appointed the skipper in T20Is while Rohit Sharma continued to be at the helm of the ODI side.
Suryakumar piped Hardik Pandya for T20I captaincy after the all-rounder was seen to be the next captain in the format once Rohit retired after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. Hardik was Rohit's deputy in the tournament.
However, reports suggest that Hardik's dodgy fitness record tilted the scales in favour of Suryakumar.
Suryakumar will now unite with his former skipper at the Kolkata Knight Ride, Gambhir, with both of them in completely different roles now.
Gambhir-Surya KKR connection
It was under Gambhir that Suryakumar made his IPL debut in 2012 for Kolkata Knight Riders. In a star-studded KKR batting line-up, Suryakumar was largely used in the lower middle order in a tough role of finishing the innings.
Gambhir also appointed the stylish right-hander as his deputy in the 2015 season. Once in an interview, Gambhir said his only regret as a KKR captain was that he could never utilise the full potential of Suryakumar.
At KKR, Suryakumar could only hit one half-century in his five years at the franchise. However, his fortunes completely changes once he moved to Mumbai Indians where he was pushed up the order.
Suryakumar Yadav captaincy record
The explosive right-hander has led India in seven T20Is so far. India have won five of these games and lost just two.
His batting record is also exemplary and makes him one of the first names on the team sheet. The 33-year-old has 2340 T20I runs in just 65 innings with four centuries and 19 half-centuries. His strike rate in T20Is is an outstanding 167.74.
