On Friday, Suryakumar Yadav, who was recently appointed as the Indian T20I team captain made a statement. He said that the team will continue with its attacking style of play that characterized his predecessor’s term.
Since the ODI World Cup held in their home country last year, India has taken on a fresh attacking approach which began during Rohit’s reign.This aggressive form of cricket has remained their trademark up to the time they won the World Cup in Americas where Rohit played his last T20I.
“The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged,” PTI quoted Suryakumar as saying on the eve of the first of three T20Is against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
“There is no change. The brand of cricket remains identical. It doesn’t change anything (the captaincy role). It gives me extra responsibility. Now I can do ‘walk-the-talk’ stuff,” he added.
Suryakumar also mentioned that he wanted to follow Rohit’s way as the captain of Mumbai Indians.“What I learnt from him is that on and off field he was always a leader,” he said.
“He was not just a captain — there is a lot of difference between the two. He was a leader who stood in the middle of the group and showed people the way.
“How to play T20 cricket and how to win a tournament? That is what I have learnt from him,” he elaborated.
Suryakumar, being preferred over Hardik Pandya who is India’s vice-captain for upcoming T20 World Cup, stated Pandya’s position within squad would not be affected by this decision at all .
“Hardik’s role has always been same because he is an important player for us. Hoping that he continues doing similar things like what he did at World Cups.”
Suryakumar had expressed his desire to see young talents like Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh who will be in action in the matches against Sri Lanka performing very well. He believes that these youngsters could make a big impact on this series.
“While three players have retired (and) it will be difficult to fill their shoes, new players have practiced a lot and also played a lot,” he said.
“They are already doing well when they play franchise cricket and they have also done very well in the matches they played for India. I have a lot of faith in them that they will do well.”
The Mumbai captain, Suryakumar Yadav admitted that he has gone through significant transformation over the last ten years while reflecting on his past. This was a time when he had to resign as skipper of the Mumbai team. Because he behaved badly towards other members of his team during matches.
“I think it is a complete swap. If you say 2014, it is almost 10 years now. In 10 years, a lot of things will change. You become a different person altogether. You get to learn a lot of things. I am also a completely changed man now,” he said.
I married in 2016. “So you absolutely have to change after that too, right?” he maintained, “But yeah, things are totally different now.”
Rohit once again stressed his influence on Suryakumar.
“I had opportunities to learn from other captains I’ve played under and of course Rohit Sharma who I’ve been playing with over the last six years. He has offered me many takeaways and we will sail in my own way,” he added.
Suryakumar, a key player on the Indian team, recently responded to comments from newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. The coach mentioned that he regretted not fully utilising his potentials during their time together at Kolkata Knight Riders franchise.
However, Suryakumar remained optimistic saying ‘there was enough to make a turnaround’. This implies that despite past missed chances he still believes there is ample time and scope for him to demonstrate his skills and leave a big mark in the team.
With a smile, he said: “We can do justice to our potential together now”.
“Our bond has always been special. We talked so much. We understand each other by our body language alone.
“Sometimes we know what one another wants but never actually spoke it out or indicated it either by an action or gesture; Can’t wait for this ride; Let’s see.”
