Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has dominated the shortest format of the game and was handed the T20I captaincy following the retirement of Rohit Sharma.
He has been unbeatable in this format, yet his role as Indian captain has been increasingly threatened by the presence of Shubman Gill. The Indian captain has finally responded to such claims.
Suryakumar Yadav has been a success story since being appointed the Indian captain in the shortest format of the game. The 35-year-old cricketer recently won the Asia Cup with the Indian team and has now been named the captain for the upcoming Australia tour.
The T20I leg of the India vs Australia series will begin on November 29 and is scheduled to end on November 9. Shubman Gill will be the vice-captain of the team in the 5-match T20 series. Gill has been appointed the captain of India in the other two formats.
“I’m not going to lie, everyone feels this fear. But, it’s a fear that keeps you motivated” – Suryakumar Yadav
Despite his stellar form, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that he has no fears when it comes to the future of his career. Shubman Gill has been selected as India’s future all-format captain after Gautam Gambhir made his strategy behind a single captain across all formats clear.
“I am very happy for him that he has become the captain in two formats. He has performed really well,” Suryakumar said in Express Adda on Friday.
Suryakumar said that he and Gill share a strong bond on and off the field. “I won’t lie, everyone feels that fear. But, it’s that kind of fear that keeps you motivated. The camaraderie between me and him (Shubhman Gill) is amazing on and off the field. I know what kind of player and person he is. So it motivates me to do well but I’m happy for him.”
He has discovered that it is this kind of fear that motivates him to improve and he is very happy that the reason is Shubman Gill.
“I wouldn’t have been able to play my first ball in international cricket the way I did” – Suryakumar
Suryakumar Yadav made his debut in international cricket at the age of 31. He opened the batting in the second match against England and scored 57 runs on 31 balls. The first ball he faced in international cricket was hit for a six. Taking the same context further, he has claimed that if he had been a person afraid of the future, he would not have been playing such audacious cricket.
“If I was someone who was affected by things like that and thought about it so much, I wouldn’t have been able to play my first ball in international cricket the way I did. So I’ve put that fear behind me a long time ago,” Sky said, taking some pride in explaining his audacity in the game.
“I believe that if I’m working hard on myself, following the things that need to be followed, working very hard and being honest with myself, the rest will be taken care of,” he said.
Suryakumar Yadav has not yet received the Asia Cup held in Dubai.
The Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, won the Asia Cup 2025, which was Suryakumar’s first multiformat tournament win, but the trophy was snatched from them as Pakistan chief Mohsin Naqvi walked away with the trophy. This happened when the Indian team refused to take it from the hands of the ACC Chairman.
Mohsin Naqvi is adamant on not handing over the trophy to India unless they go to the ACC headquarters to receive it from Naqvi. The trophy is locked in Dubai and even after almost 3 weeks have passed, the Indian team has still not received it.
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