"Only the engine has changed" - Suryakumar Yadav keen on carrying forward Rohit Sharma's T20I legacy as captain
Suryakumar Yadav, Team India's T20I captain for the Sri Lanka series. has hailed former skipper Rohit Sharma, describing him as a leader on and off the field. The swashbuckling batter asserted that although Rohit is no longer part of the T20I setup, he will look to carry forward the great work done by his predecessor.
Suryakumar was named Team India's captain after Rohit announced his retirement from T20Is following the 2024 T20 World Cup. In his last assignment as T20I captain, Rohit led India to ICC glory as India won the T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States last month.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first India-Sri Lanka T20I, Suryakumar showered praises on Rohit and asserted that not much will change about style of play following the former skipper's exit.
"I always think that what I have learned from Rohit Sharma, he was always like a leader on the ground and off the field. He was not like a captain. There is a lot of difference in both aspects. There was a leader who was standing in the middle of the group, and he showed people the way, how to play this T20 cricket and how to win the tournament," he stated.
"I have learnt that from that and the same train will move forward. Only the engine has changed, the bogies of the train are the same," the 33-year-old added.
Before the Sri Lanka series, Suryakumar captained India in a five-match series at home against Australia and in a short series in South Africa in December 2023.
"It feels good" - Suryakumar on being named T20I captain
Suryakumar made a belated international debut in 2021. Three years on, he is being looked at as a full-time T20I captain. Reflecting on his growing stature over the last few years, the 33-year-old admitted that the journey has been nothing short of a dream come true.
"Every player's dream is to represent India, to do good for India. So that was my first dream. When it is going well, then gradually you think how you can win India in a big tournament, you can win matches," he said.
"Then another goal comes that if you ever become the captain of India, how will you win games for India [while] playing against good teams. So this is also another box that has been ticked. And it feels good," the middle-order batter concluded.
The Team India captain is currently ranked No. 2 in the ICC Men's T20I batter rankings with 797 points. He was earlier the No.1-ranked batter before being replaced by Australia's Travis Head.