Suryakumar Yadav, the newly appointed captain of the Indian T20 team, has expressed his excitement and readiness for the new challenge. Despite not previously holding the captain’s hat, Yadav has always enjoyed taking on leadership roles on the field, learning valuable lessons from various captains throughout his career. He views his appointment as a great responsibility and a positive step forward.
Yadav’s first assignment as captain will be the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday. This marks a new chapter for Indian cricket, with Yadav taking the reins following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the T20 format. The team will also be led by new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who previously coached Yadav during their time together at the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014.
Yadav describes his relationship with Gambhir as special, noting that he gained valuable opportunities under the coach’s guidance during their time at KKR. The two share a strong understanding of each other’s work ethic and approach to the game, making for a promising collaboration.
Despite the pressures of captaincy, Yadav remains grounded and humble, viewing cricket as a sport rather than an all-consuming way of life. He emphasizes the importance of humility, both in success and failure, and stresses the need to leave everything on the field. Yadav believes that cricket is just a part of life, and one should not allow it to define their entire existence. This balanced perspective will likely serve him well as he leads the Indian team in the upcoming T20I series and beyond.
