3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav shouldn't have been named India's captain for the Australia T20I series
Team India have had 12 captains so far in T20I cricket, and only four of them have led the team in double-digit matches. Hardik Pandya has overseen 16 games, and he is well behind MS Dhoni (72), Rohit Sharma (51) and Virat Kohli (50).
During India's upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, they will put out a 13th skipper in the format in Suryakumar Yadav. The dynamic batter is the most experienced player in the youthful squad and has been in rampaging form in T20Is over the last two years.
India’s squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (for last two T20Is).
However, there are a few factors that suggest SKY isn't the right man for the job during the Men in Blue's upcoming rubber against the reigning ODI World Cup champions.
Here are three reasons why Suryakumar Yadav shouldn't have been named as India's captain for the T20I series against Australia.
#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad has been groomed for a leadership role
One of the telling signs of India's thought process ever since reshuffling the BCCI selection panel, Ruturaj Gaikwad is presumably being groomed for a leadership role.
Gaikwad led a young side to the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games and has also captained admirably in domestic cricket. Even the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seem to have him in their sights to take over from MS Dhoni when the veteran keeper-batter calls it a day.
Having taken charge of the side in the Asian Games, Gaikwad could've easily been appointed the captain ahead of Suryakumar, and it would've been a wise move. Instead, the 26-year-old will deputize for his senior teammate.
#2 India need to think long-term, and Suryakumar doesn't fit the bill
Whether it's Gaikwad or someone else, India appointing a younger captain would have served them well in the long run. Suryakumar Yadav is 33 years old, and while the T20 World Cup has a two-year cycle, he isn't going to be in his prime for much longer.
Apart from Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan captained India at the U19 level and has also taken up the responsibility in domestic cricket. The possibility of Kishan not making the XI works against him, but in Gaikwad and Axar Patel, the Men in Blue have two ideal contenders.
Is Suryakumar the kind of character who makes a great captain? That's also up for debate, but we'll only know once we see him on the field.
What we do know now, though, is that India could benefit from thinking ahead and handing the reins to someone with a longer future in international cricket, for that will serve them well in the other formats as well.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav is on the back of a disappointing World Cup campaign
Suryakumar Yadav is on the back of a grueling World Cup 2023 campaign in which he had to play a good chunk of matches after an injury to Hardik Pandya left India without a No. 6 batter. The tournament drew to a close only two days ago, and there's a reason why most of the country's players have been given a breather.
Moreover, Suryakumar didn't do particularly well with the bat either, something that must have taken a toll on him. In seven matches, he made just 106 runs at an average of 17.66 and a strike rate of 100.95.
There is no real need for Suryakumar to be even playing the T20Is against Australia, let alone taking up captaincy duties. Unless he personally requested the selectors to consider him for selection, it's arguable that he shouldn't have been picked for the assignment.