Suryakumar Yadav has been named vice-captain for the forthcoming T20I series against the West Indies, while Hardik Pandya will captain the team in the five-match series, which begins on August 3 at Tauroba.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra supported Suryakumar for this role, stating that the great Indian batter was promoted to the squad due to his performance.
Yadav has been a steady member of India’s 20-over squad since his debut in 2021. In little time, he has established himself as a dependable hitter capable of executing unconventional shots and contributing to the Indian team’s overall success.
In 48 T20I appearances, the 32-year-old has a 45-plus average and has hit 300 with a strike rate of more than 175.
Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav in T20I
Suryakumar’s success in the 20-over format is largely attributed to the Indian Premier League (IPL), and so his performance in the IPL 2023 will be considered for this new role.
“The Indian team has been selected for the T20I series against West Indies. Hardik Pandya is the captain and Suryakumar Yadav is the vice-captain. Giving him the vice-captaincy is right because of the way he has performed,”
said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Following their dismal effort in the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue are undoubtedly experimenting with different places in the squad. Suryakumar has been given the opportunity to impress the selectors in the absence of veteran players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the five T20Is in the Caribbean.
“It’s not just the seniority in the side but if you see otherwise as well, he had come with a lot of cricketing experience. He has been a late bloomer slightly but vice-captain, I think a very good choice,”
he further added.
“Hardik Pandya, who had been given the captaincy after the T20 World Cup – it seems like that’s now a final fixture, that Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian T20 team for times to come, which means until the upcoming World Cup,”
concluded the former Indian batter.
In the context of the series, Team India will undoubtedly be wanting to do well in the limited overs format, given this series consists of two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is.
Although the Men in Blue won the last 20-over format series against New Zealand under Hardik’s leadership, Suryakumar was the home side’s backbone in that series. Currently, he will be seeking to extend his IPL 2023 form in the forthcoming T20I series against West Indies in order to secure his leadership status.
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