With a new captain and coach in place, the Indian cricket team is about to embark on a new chapter
Suryakumar Yadav is named the new T20I captain in the Gautam Gambhir era. After the stunning win by India in the T20I World Cup in June this year, Rohit Sharma came up with the decision to retire from the T20 format.
It can be said that the selection committee took into consideration concerns related to the work load and physical fitness of Hardik. Thus, to avoid tiring him during the limited-overs cricket format, it is important to keep Hardik fresh in all formats.
The first actual tournament for Suryakumar as the captain of the team will be a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in the last week of July. However, anyone who has keenly followed his career was not in any way surprised to see him occupying this position of leadership.
Indeed, the future of Indian cricket looks very bright under the SKY // Picture Courtesy – India TV News
In 2013, in Singapore, a brand-new tournament called the Emerging Asia Cup brought together U-23 teams from across Asia. India, packed with future stars like KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and a fiery young Jasprit Bumrah, had a secret weapon at the helm: Suryakumar Yadav, their captain.
Their journey wasn't a cakewalk. The very first match was a nail-biter against PAK, another team brimming with future greats like Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. Chasing a tricky target of 192, India dug deep. While Unmukt Chand top-scored with a brilliant 61, it was a team effort that sealed the win with three wickets remaining.
The next match was a display of pure dominance. Suryakumar himself led from the front, smashing a blistering 65 off just 39 balls against Nepal. This batting blitz set a massive target of 268, which proved too much for Nepal. India was well on its way!
A hiccup against Afghanistan did not slow them down. Yes, they may have lost that particular match, but they were through to the semi-finals. Here they confronted the UAE, and the game started getting quite intense. Indian batting failed, and they were all out for 208.
However, the bowling did not let the team down, especially a young Axar Patel, who took four wickets. They bundled out the UAE for a meagre 162 runs, thus paving the way for a final face-off with the PAK team.
A cricketer with nerves of steel // Picture Courtesy – Times of India
It was a one-sided final against PAK. India's bowlers shut down PAK's batting lineup, limiting them to a woeful 159. Baba Aparajith and Suryakumar Yadav took three and two wickets, respectively.
It was only a formality to pursue such a modest target. KL Rahul was the game's MVP with a brilliant 93* performance that helped India win by nine wickets and win the Emerging Asia Cup Trophy. Suryakumar Yadav, the team's youthful leader, has taken home the title!
Fast forward to today, and the former budding talent Suryakumar Yadav has evolved into an experienced player for the Indian team’s T20I format and is now the captain as well. These qualities of leadership, which started manifesting themselves when he began playing for the U-23, have now come to be displayed at the highest level of cricket.
This is not only a new chapter but also a great example of Surya’s success story, his ability, and his chances to take India to further heights in the T20 format.
