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"Good friends on the field," says India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav on relationship with MI captain Hardik Pandya

Published at :January 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Modified at :January 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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(Courtesy : BCCI)

Jatin Khandelwal


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Under Suryakumar Yadav, India have won three T20I series in a row.

Ahead of the start of the T20I series against England, India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on his bond with Hardik Pandya.

Pandya was the vice-captain in white-ball cricket until the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, after that, with Rohit Sharma retiring from T20Is, Suryakumar was appointed as the new T20I skipper and Shubman Gill as his deputy. For the upcoming T20Is against England, with Gill not part of the series, Axar Patel got the vice-captaincy duties, despite Pandya being in the squad.

Has this affected Suryakumar’s relationship with Pandya, who will lead him at Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League?

“The relationship with him has been really great. We’ve been playing [together] for a really long time. I still remember that from 2018, when I went back to Mumbai Indians [we first played together] and [it’s the same] till today. It’s just that the added responsibility that I’ve got [here]. When we go back to franchise cricket, I can get to be quiet and relax for a little bit,” Yadav said in the pre-series press conference in Kolkata.

Hardik is also part of the leading group: Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar asserted that he and Pandya continue to be “good friends on the field” regardless of who is leading whom. The India skipper added that the all-rounder is a key part of the leadership group.

“We’ve been good friends on the field and we know what we want going forward with the India team. Axar has been given that added responsibility. We saw what he did in the 2024 T20 World Cup, he’s been with the team for a very long time. At the same time, Hardik is also part of the leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do with the team going forward and even on the field, he is always around. We have a lot of captains on the ground,” Suryakumar underlined.

Under Suryakumar, India have won three T20I series in a row, and now they will take on Jos Buttler’s England team as both sides build up for the T20 World Cup next year.

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