(July 25), Rahul Dravid’s time as India’s head coach sowed the seeds for Suryakumar Yadav’s rise to prominence before Hardik Pandya.
Though the idea to elevate Suryakumar Yadav to the leadership role originated during Rahul Dravid’s tenure, Gautam Gambhir may have provided the final push. The Indian team management felt it was imperative to select a captain who would be available for every match and likely to avoid injuries for an extended period of time, which is one of the main reasons Surya overtook Hardik Pandya in the T20I captaincy race. That seemed unlikely given Hardik’s history of chronic injuries.
The idea to gradually promote Surya to captaincy was first floated in the aftermath of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Coaches and selectors were uncertain about Hardik Pandya’s ability to recover from his ankle injury sustained early in the World Cup, so Suryakumar Yadav was handed captaincy of the T20I team for the home series against Australia. Surya performed admirably, leading India to a 4-1 series victory, while Hardik was sidelined and the seniors took time off to recuperate from the devastating loss to Australia in the championship match.
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey explained to Hindustan Times why team management, head coach Dravid, and the selectors decided to bench Surya.
“You expect the captain to play every game in that format when you select them as captain, first and foremost. The coaches and selectors have always believed that this player will be around for a very long time in the T20 format. He is an expert at that skill. among the greatest for this format. Based on their current form, he and Klaasen are ranked one or two in T20Is. Mhanbrey told HT, “The sheer effect he has on India winning games is incredible.
Although Surya has led Mumbai in domestic cricket, prior to the Australia and South Africa series, he had no experience at the highest level of team leadership. Surya was not fortunate enough to be the captain of an IPL team, unlike Hardik or Rishabh Pant, the other potential contenders. But after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format, both the previous and current team management believed Surya was the most qualified to take his place.
According to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, dressing feedback for Surya’s captaincy was also taken into consideration. According to Mhambrey, the right-hander gets along well with all of the team members, but he gets along especially well with the younger ones.
He’s been a part of the group. He seems to get along well with the young guys. We have the two stalwarts, Rohit and Virat, on the one hand, and the more experienced, but perhaps even more relatable, Surya on the other. He gets along well with everyone.
The younger generation respects him for that. He’s good at interacting with the kids, so they should do that. Consequently, he gets along well with every team member. The former India bowling coach, whose job ended following the T20 World Cup, said, “He has a lot of experience and is a smart cricketer having come up through the ranks.“
