Former India bowling coach reveals who planted the seeds of SKY as a leader.
Indian batting stalwart Suryakumar Yadav recently made headlines after being named the new skipper of the Indian T20I team, following all-format captain Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format after last month’s T20 World Cup 2024 win.
The news was announced after new-coach Gautam Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid.
The decision also attracted a lot of debate since SKY was not the first-choice as believed by many. Premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who served as Rohit’s deputy in the T20 World Cup was the frontrunner for the role.
However, SKY pipped Pandya for the captaincy role since the selectors felt that Hardik Pandya’s injury issues and workload could be a concern.
While Suryakumar will lead the Men in Blue during Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey revealed that the seed of the idea was planted by the outgoing Rahul Dravid.
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Mhambrey, whose stint with team India ended after the T20 World Cup 2024, revealed that the seeds of easing Surya into the captaincy were first sown after the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Due to uncertainty about Hardik Pandya’s return from an ankle injury sustained in the ODI World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the captain of the T20I team for the home series against Australia.
With senior players resting to recover from the tough loss to Australia in the final, Suryakumar Yadav stepped up and successfully led India to a 4-1 series victory.
Mhambrey opened up on the thought process of Dravid and the team management of putting Surya in the hot seat.
Mhambrey told Hindustan Times, “First and foremost, when you pick a captain, you expect the captain to play all the games in that format. We, the coaches and selectors, have always felt that here’s a guy who’s gonna have a long future in the T20 format. He has mastered that skill. One of the best in this format.”
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