After a prolonged controversy, the new T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, finally comes up in front and addresses the questions of becoming captain and drubbing Hardik Pandya for the role of captain. On the evening of the first T20I match against Sri Lanka, which is going to be very exciting for cricket lovers as it is going to be a new beginning for Indian cricket under the captainship of Suryakumar Yadav and new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Addressing the current scenario, Surya said that this captaincy will not affect the relationship between me and Hardik. As all the speculations said, Hardik Pandya would be playing the role of captain for India after the retirement of T20 World Cup winner captain Rohit Sharma. Hardik was playing the role of vice captain in the World Cup, and he had also led the Indian team for approximately a year in Rohit’s absence.
The major catch was the decision of new coach Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, led by the selection committee, who decided Suryakumar Yadav as a perfect choice as he has higher chances of staying injury-free and he would be able to play for most matches in comparison to Pandya.
Surya thinks that Hardik will continue to be in form, just like he played in the T20I World Cup. “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,” Surya told reporters on Friday.
Surya reacted by replacing Rohit Sharma as an Indian captain, in which he quoted, “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. 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',” he added.
He even added that he wants to maintain the trend and path thatthatthat RohitSharma createdSharma created Sharma created during his captaincy.. "What I have learnedlearned from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it,” he said. “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 learnedlearned from him," he said. Surya mentioned that he had played many years under Rohit Sharma'sSharma's captaincy, and he has learnedlearned a lot from 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 lessons to be learned from him, and in my own style, we will take the ship forward,” he quoted.
Surya mentioned the retirement of three iconic players and that it would be difficult to play the role of them, but he hoped that young players would do a great job in the upcoming Sri Lanka series. He said, “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,” he said. “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.”
The India vs. Sri Lanka series is going to start from July 27th, 2024, to July 20th, 2024. It is going to be a three-day series, and this time it’s going to be iconic for all the cricket lovers as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have announced their retirement from this series and young players are ready to bring new changes.
