Is Suryakumar Yadav set for T20I captaincy debut? Suryakumar Yadav, popularly known as “SKY”, will soon be assigned the responsibility of leading the Indian cricket team against Australia.
The Aussies will be playing against the hosts for the upcoming 5-match T20I series that commences on 23rd November 2023. It becomes obvious that the T20I series kickstarts just four days after the finals of the ICC World Cup 2023 tournament.
As the ICC World Cup 2023 has reached the knockout stages, the Indian cricket team is busy with their preparations. Parallel to the CWC 2019, India once again faces New Zealand in the Semi-finals on 15th November 2023 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. It would be exhilarating to know if it is the retaliation or replay moment of the CWC 2019 semi-finals.
Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Team India will be additionally aiming to secure their place in the finals on 19th November 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy debut has raised many interesting questions among all cricket fans such as:
- Why is Suryakumar Yadav set for T20I captaincy debut?
- Has Hardik Pandya completely recovered from his injury?
- Apart from Suryakumar Yadav, which young cricketer can be the best alternative to lead Team India?
- Is there any official announcement of the Indian team squads for the upcoming T20I series?
Many interesting facts relating to the above questions will be revealed in detail…
Suryakumar Yadav set for T20I captaincy debut: Reasons for Preferring SKY as a captain
Previously, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya faced a severe ankle injury while bowling against Bangladesh in the World Cup 2023.
As a result, Hardik Pandya had to miss the important games of this tournament. This includes the crucial matches against New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Unfortunately, Hardik Pandya missed being a part of his team in the knockout stages of this tournament.
At present, Hardik Pandya completely needs complete rest to make a strong comeback in the forthcoming matches of his career. Currently, it is highly impossible for Hardik Pandya to contribute to his team without complete fitness. Due to this reason, the officials have decided to explore a new Indian skipper in T20Is.
After the T20 World Cup 2022, Hardik Pandya led his team in the shorter formats of white ball cricket. Despite, maintaining perfect fitness, some of the key players haven’t played any T20I matches for a year. The selectors wanted their main players to focus more on ODIs for the World Cup 2023, to deliver their best performance.
After the completion of World Cup 2023, the officials will be planning to rest senior cricketers. This includes in-form players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah. It is a mandated rest for these key players to perform well in the upcoming series against South Africa.
Additionally, the inclusion of fresh players in the team makes them gain valuable experience against the toughest opposition. Further, these young players can become the future of the Indian cricket team.
In such scenarios, the selectors have decided to opt for the best-inform batsmen in T20Is. Finally, the selectors were left with the option to choose the only player as a captain for the upcoming series. And that is none other than Suryakumar Yadav.
Suryakumar Yadav set for T20I captaincy debut: Who could be the alternative choice for SKY?
According to the latest news, the young Indian batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad has an equal opportunity to mark his captaincy debut in international cricket.
Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to secure his place in the Indian cricket team after playing a crucial role as the best opener for CSK in TATA IPL 2023.
Recently, Ruturaj Gaikwad led India to the victory in Asian Games 2023. The recent success of the CSK opening batsman solidifies the chances to lead the Indian cricket team in the upcoming T20I series.
On the other side, Suryakumar Yadav has led Mumbai Indians to a comfortable victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in TATA IPL 2023. This was the only match when SKY led his team in the absence of Rohit Sharma during the 1st innings due to a stomach bug.
Suryakumar Yadav vs Ruturaj Gaikwad: The best choice for the debutant captain for the upcoming T20I series
Suryakumar Yadav holds the best records in T20Is with 4 centuries and 15 half-centuries. Additionally, this includes his highest T20I score of 117 runs from 55 balls against England in 2022. Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav has scored a total of 1,841 runs in 50 innings. Conversely, Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored only 277 runs in just 12 T20I innings. Also, Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored only 2 half-centuries in his T20I career. This comprises his best score of 58 runs from 43 balls against Ireland in 2023.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has not been the part of Indian cricket team on a regular basis. On the other side, Suryakumar Yadav has been a part of the World Cup 2023 tournament. The experience gained from this grand tournament can help Suryakumar Yadav to implement the best strategies as a captain in the forthcoming series.
Also, Suryakumar Yadav was the vice-captain during the era of Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, for the previous T20I series. This enhances the leadership skills of Suryakumar Yadav comprehended from Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.
Conclusive Facts: Suryakumar Yadav Set for T20I Debut
After the semi-finals of CWC 2023 between India and New Zealand, the selection committee will declare a piece of official information. This announcement includes the list of players included in the Indian team squad for the upcoming T20I series against Australia.
Overall, the above facts and stats prove why is Suryakumar Yadav set for T20I captaincy debut. Conclusively, selectors would be seeking to fix the most talented T20I batsman as a captain that includes the most impressive records. In such scenarios, SKY emerges to become the clear winner to lead the Indian cricket team for the upcoming T20I series against Australia.
