Ex-India bowling coach reveals Suryakumar Yadav was first considered for T20I captaincy under Rahul Dravid

Suryakumar Yadav has been named India’s new full-time T20I skipper over Hardik Pandya.

Since making his debut in T20Is for the Indian cricket team, Suryakumar Yadav has showcased his skills and talent to the best of his abilities. He has arguably been the best batter in the world in the shortest format in recent years.

The 33-year-old has smashed 2340 runs at a brilliant average of 43.33 and strike rate of 167, with 19 half-centuries and four hundreds.

After performing consistently in the shortest format, the BCCI rewarded Suryakumar with the T20I captaincy position in a full-time role, taking over from Rohit Sharma, who retired at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024 last month. Suryakumar’s first assignment is the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting on July 27. 

However, the decision made by the BCCI to name Suryakumar as the new captain has sparked a debate as many expected that Hardik Pandya would take over the reins from Rohit since Pandya was the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup.

Ex-bowling coach Paras Mhambrey revealed Suryakumar Yadav was in line to become T20I skipper during Rahul Dravid’s tenure

Legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid ended his stint as a head coach with the Indian cricket team after lifting the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June. During Dravid’s tenure, ex-bowling coach Paras Mhambrey played a huge role in nurturing the bowlers.

After Suryakumar became the new T20I skipper ahead of Hardik, former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey revealed that the idea of promoting Surya to captaincy was first considered during Dravid’s tenure as head coach. The new management, led by Gautam Gambhir, decided to implement that vision when the opportunity was presented in front of them.

“First and foremost, when you pick a captain, you expect the captain to play all the games in that format. We, the coaches and selectors, have always felt that here’s a guy who’s gonna have a long future in the T20 format. He has mastered that skill. One of the best in this format. He and Klaasen are maybe one or two best in T20Is now based on their current form. Just the pure impact he has on winning games for India is phenomenal,” Mhambrey told Hindustan Times.

Mhambrey further added that Suryakumar regularly interacts with the young players in the Indian squad, which helped him to get closer to the youngsters. The ex-India bowling coach opened up that young players respect Suryakumar and he has a great bond with everyone within the team.

“He’s been with the team. I’ve seen him interact with the young guys. On one hand, we had Rohit and Virat, guys who are stalwarts, and then we have Surya, who is experienced but probably even closer to the youngsters. He is very friendly with everyone. He has that respect from the younger lot. The youngsters need to interact with him, he’s good at it. So, he has a good bond with everyone in the team. He has come up through the ranks, so he has a lot of experience and is a smart cricketer,” Mhambrey added.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket for IPL 2024 Live Score & IPL Points Table,  on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.