Suryakumar Yadav likely to captain India in Sri Lanka T20I series
Hardik Pandya might not be included in the squad due to fitness and family concerns
Dubai: Suryakumar Yadav is very likely to get the nod to captain Team India in the Twenty20 Internationals in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka which begins from July 27.
It was strongly believed that T20I World Cup vice-captain Hardik Pandya will take over from Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja after the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last month.
But now it looks like Pandya might not be included in the squad due to fitness and family concerns. Pandya suffered an ankle injury during the 50-over World Cup last year and was out of action till IPL where he returned to captain Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans. But he received a very cold reception as fans hated the fact that he had replaced their favourite captain Rohit. Along side there were strong rumours floating about his divorce with wife Natasha Stankovic.
Experienced captain
Meanwhile, Suryakumar too has had a fair share of experience as a captain. He captained Mumbai Indians on one occasion and then was Team India’s captain during the T20I series against Australia and South Africa last year.
The tour of Sri Lanka will also be the start of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach, taking over from Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup.
While India did play a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe immediately after the T20 World Cup, only three players from the World Cup-winning squad participated, and they were available only for the final three games.