While Suryakumar Yadav may be busy preparing for the business end of the World Cup, he is also in line to captain India in the five-match T20 series against Australia starting on November 22. With Hardik Pandya likely to be out of the T20 series, incumbent vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav may lead an inexperienced squad sans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah. Surya’s only competitor to pip captaincy post is Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The CSK opener solidified his captaincy credentials by leading India to victory in the Asian Games. Leading a second-string team, Gaikwad showed calmness, composure, and shrewdness to bag India a gold medal. Gaikwad’s captaincy was lauded by one and all, with him also being compared to MS Dhoni. However, with Gaikwad not a regular part of the team, he may not captain India during the Australia T20 series.
Also, with team India starting preparation for the next T20 World set to be played in June 2024, BCCI will want to groom Hardik Pandya’s successor if in any case he gets injured again. Surya is the vice-captain of the T20 team and has also filled in as captain whenever Hardik was given rest or on a break.
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Suryakumar Yadav set to lead second string side against Australia
With no Hardik Pandya, Surya will be the most experienced player in the team. SKY has captaincy experience as he has led Mumbai in the Ranji team and also filled in as skipper when Rohit Sharma was not in the playing XI for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. But to lead a second-string team will be a challenge for him.
BCCI is likely to announce the squad for the Australia series after the semi-final. Players like Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in contention to get selected for the team.
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