Reports: Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in T20Is vs Australia

Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav is expected to lead the Men in Blue in the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, commencing on November 23 in Vizag and concluding in Bengaluru on December 3 according to a report from The Indian Express. This decision stems from Hardik Pandya’s availability due to an injury sustained during the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) senior national selection committee will shortly announce the squad for the series.

The world’s top-ranked T20I batter had previously served as the vice-captain of India’s T20I side during the West Indies tour, where they played five matches in the Caribbean and the US. With Pandya’s recovery from the ankle injury uncertain, the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is inclined to appoint the 33-year-old as the captain.

Reports of Suryakumar’s captaincy arose as the Indian Cricket board understood that Pandya will likely take at least two months to complete the recovery process from the ankle injury. Consequently, he may miss three T20Is and three ODIs against South Africa, with the necessity of surgery remaining unclear.

Suryakumar has prior leadership experience, having captained the Mumbai side and the India Under-23 team in the Emerging Cup a few years ago. Renowned for his 360-degree style of play, he has rapidly become one of the most formidable batters in the world in the shortest format of the game. Yet, his performance in the 50-over format has been subpar, accumulating only 88 runs in six games with an average of 17.60 and a strike rate of 114.28 in the ongoing event.

The selection committee is planning to rest the majority of players involved in the ongoing World Cup. Notably, India will face Australia in the World Cup final on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Players like Ishan Kishan and Prasidh Krishna, who have had limited game time in the marquee event, are expected to feature in the T20I series against Australia.