SKY set to lead India in upcoming T20Is
|| CF DESK ||
Suryakumar Yadav is set to be named India's new T20I captain, replacing Hardik Pandya, the current vice-captain, for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar, on the other hand, has experience captaining Mumbai in domestic cricket. Recently, he led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia in the T20I series last November and a 1-1 series draw in South Africa. Suryakumar is also a key player in India's first-choice XI in the T20 format.
Suryakumar will succeed Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is alongside Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja after leading India to T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean last month.
Although Hardik served as Rohit's deputy during the T20 World Cup and has more captaincy experience—having led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, and captained Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the IPL—concerns over his fitness and workload management appear to have worked against him.
Hardik sustained an ankle injury during the 50-over World Cup at home in October-November last year and was out until the start of IPL 2024, where he returned to lead Mumbai. Since the beginning of 2022, Hardik has played in only 46 of India's 79 T20Is.
A young Indian squad, led by Shubman Gill, just returned from Zimbabwe earlier in the week after completing a 4-1 T20I series win. The squad included just three players from the side that won the World Cup.
