IND vs AUS: "Fear of losing captaincy amid Shubman Gill's rise...."- Suryakumar Yadav's no filter chat takes internet by storm

Suryakumar Yadav said that the fear of losing captaincy to Shubman Gill keeps him motivated.

Indian Cricket Team T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav reacted to Shubman Gill taking over the reins of the ODI team from Rohit Sharma ahead of India’s tour of Australia 2025. He also admitted that although he fears losing his captaincy in future, the thought motivates him to do well.

Shubman Gill’s rise as a captain has been phenomenal. In just last few months, he has been included in the leadership group of Indian team in all three formats. The young batter first took over the test captaincy after Rohit Sharma’s retirement and then was named as the vice-captain of T20I side. If this was not enough, he then replaced Rohit as the ODI skipper as well.

Gill’s first assignment as ODI captain will be upcoming series against Australia as he will be leading big guns in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The right-hander has tasted immense success since taking over the test captaincy in May. He led the team to a 2-2 draw in the England tour in his first assignment and followed it up with a 2-0 clean sweep against the West Indies in a recent series.

Gill, who is anticipated to take over the T20I captaincy as well, will be Suryakumar’s deputy in the T20I series against Australia, which will follow the upcoming three-match ODI series. With Yadav turning 35, Gill, who leads Gujarat Titans (GT) in Indian Premier League (IPL) no doubt will become the all-format skipper soon.

I am very happy for him that Shubman Gill has become captain in two formats: Suryakumar Yadav

During a conversation with India Today, Suryakumar said he was happy for Gill to take the captaincy of the two formats, and the fear of losing captaincy to him motivates him to do better.

“I am very happy for him that he has become captain in two formats. He has done really well. I won’t lie, everyone feels that fear. But, it is the kind of fear that keeps you motivated. The camaraderie between me and him (Shubman Gill) is amazing off the field and on it. I know what kind of player and human he is. So it just motivates me to do well, but I am happy for him,” he said.

“If I was someone who got affected by things like these and thought so much about it, I wouldn’t have played my first ball in international cricket the way I did. So I have left that fear behind a long time back. I believe if I am working hard on myself, following things that have to be followed, working very hard and being honest to myself, the rest will be taken care of,” he added.

Notably, Suryakumar was a late bloomer in Indian Cricket Team, making his international debut in 2021 at the age of 30 years. However, with his aggressive brand of cricket in the shortest format following his debut, he cemented his place in the T20I team.

When Rohit announced his retirement from the shortest format following India’s victory in ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Suryakumar was awarded the leadership of the T20I side. Last month, he led the Men in Blue to the title in Asia Cup 2025, which also witnessed India’s dominance by being unbeaten across seven games. He will next lead the team in the five-match T20I series against Australia from October 29 to November 8.

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