REVEALED! Why Suryakumar Yadav Was Preferred Over Hardik Pandya as India’s T20I Captain For Sri Lanka Tour

Mumbai: So, what exactly worked in Suryakumar Yadav’s favour? That is the question that has become the topic of discussion after the squads for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka was announced on Thursday evening. Well, the answer is simple – the players of the Indian team trust Suryakumar more than Hardik Pandya. As per a report in the Indian Express, players are more comfortable with Suryakumar as the leader. The report suggests that there were heated debates over spots that took place for several hours over a span of two days before the final list of names were rolled out.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, now the vice-captain for both T20Is and ODIs, showcased his leadership prowess as India’s second-string side triumphed convincingly over Zimbabwe, securing a commanding 4-1 series win. Adding firepower to the squad is Sanju Samson, the power-hitting deputy in the Zimbabwe series, who earns a spot in the upcoming white-ball tour against Sri Lanka.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Riyan Parag retain their positions for the Sri Lanka T20I series, underscoring their continued impact. However, despite strong performances, Ruturaj Gaikwad misses out on the T20I squad.

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.