"I asked myself: 'Is this a dream?'"- Suryakumar Yadav reacts to being named India's vice-captain for SL T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav has been named India's vice-captain for their T20I series against Sri Lanka, set to begin on January 3 in Mumbai. The 32-year-old has had an incredible 2022 with the bat, and the news of the vice-captaincy is certainly the icing on the cake.

'SKY', as he is known to his fans, scored an incredible 1164 runs in just 31 T20Is at an incredible average of 46.56 this year. He is currently playing for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy game against Saurashtra and is fresh off a fantastic knock of 95.

Speaking to TOI after the end of play on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy match, here's what Suryakumar Yadav had to say about getting India's vice-captaincy:

“It (vice-captaincy) wasn’t expected, but the way the past year has been for me, I can say that it’s like a reward for me. I’m feeling very good about it, and I’m really looking forward to it. I closed my eyes and asked myself: ‘Is this a dream?'”

Yadav also said that it was his father who broke the news to him and added:

“My father forwarded the (team) to me, because he’s always on social media. Then, we spoke to each other. He also sent me a small message: 'Not to take any pressure and enjoy your batting.'”

Still feels like a dream, #SuryakumarYadav on becoming India's new T20I vice-captain

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Suryakumar Yadav on Hardik Pandya's captaincy

Big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant have been rested for the T20Is against Sri Lanka. The team will be led by Hardik Pandya, who captained the Gujarat Titans to Indian Premier League glory earlier this year.

Some believe Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav will become the new core of India's leadership group in the build-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup. The two have shared a great camaraderie ever since their days together with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and could provide some freshness to the team.

Speaking about his experience playing with Pandya, Yadav stated:

“Absolutely. Our bond has always been very good. We’ve played a lot together for India and MI. Our batting numbers are also one after the other. We’ve batted a lot together. We complement each other.

“He’s been a fantastic leader, as you’ve seen in the IPL, and recently, while leading India. So, I really enjoy playing under his captaincy.”

#TeamIndia squad for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

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India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (C), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.