R Sridhar reveals the reason why Suryakumar Yadav was chosen as India’s T20I captain

R Sridhar said that Suryakumar Yadav was selected as India's T20I captain as he is always on the field and doesn't have fitness issues.

R Sridhar reveals the reason why Suryakumar Yadav was chosen as India’s T20I captain

R Sridhar, Suryakumar Yadav (Via X)

India have entered the new era in T20I cricket. After they won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is, while Rahul Dravid‘s contract as the head coach also expired. Gautam Gambhir replaced Dravid, and Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the T20I captain.

Hardik Pandya was the designated vice-captain in the T20 World Cup. However, he was ignored and Yadav became the captain. Former fielding coach of India R Sridhar has revealed the reason behind Yadav becoming the new captain.

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R Sridhar said that Suryakumar Yadav was selected as India’s T20I captain as he is always on the field and doesn’t have to worry about workload management. His dependability and availability for every game offered him advantage in the leadership post. Furthermore, his performance as captain, when Sharma and Pandya were absent, impressed the BCCI and restored faith in his leadership capacity.

The very fact that Surya is someone who will be on the park for every match India is playing and not being bothered about workload monitoring is something which has tilted the scales in his favor, in terms of captaincy. Some of the matches he has captained India when Rohit and Hardik were not available, has given confidence to the BCCI that he can do an excellent job.
R Sridhar told Hindustan Times
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Suryakumar Yadav led Team India to a 3-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka in his first series as T20I captain

Yadav led India to a 3-0 series win against Sri Lanka away from home in his first series as the full-time T20I captain. He performed well with the bat and was also sensational as a captain on the field. He was especially tactical in the final game where his team defended 9 from 12 balls and took the game to the super over where India triumphed.

R Sridhar, Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav (Via X)

Under SKY, India have still not lost a series. India registered a 4-1 series win at home against Australia after the ODI World Cup 2023 and then registered a 1-1 draw against South Africa away from home. Meanwhile, Yadav is arguably the best T20I batter for India in the last four years. So, he is definitely the first pick in the XI and this made his selection as the captain easier.

Pandya, on the other hand, has suffered with consistent injuries. Hence, the selectors kept in mind his workload management and went ahead with SKY as the T20I captain.

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