Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as new Indian Cricket Team T20 captain, following Rohit Sharma’s decision to step down after the recent World Cup victory. The 33-year-old will lead a 15-member squad on a tour of Sri Lanka for three T20 internationals starting on July 27 in Pallekele.
Shubman Gill, who led a second-string Indian Cricket Team to a 4-1 T20 series victory in Zimbabwe, has been named vice-captain for both T20 and ODI formats.
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Rohit Sharma will continue to captain the ODI team, which will face Sri Lanka in three matches on August 2, 4, and 7 at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. Virat Kohli will also return for these matches, while pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will miss the tour after a demanding season.
Initially, Rohit and Kohli had planned to take a break but returned to prepare for next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya, previously Rohit’s deputy in the T20 World Cup, was a frontrunner for the captaincy but was sidelined due to injuries.
Pandya, who captained Mumbai Indians in the IPL after recovering from an ankle injury, remains part of the T20 squad but is out of the ODI series, which will see Shreyas Iyer’s return.
New coach Gautam Gambhir reportedly chose Suryakumar, known for his aggressive batting, as captain. Following the retirements of Rohit, Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from T20 cricket after the World Cup final win over South Africa, Gambhir aims to build on Rahul Dravid’s legacy.
Suryakumar previously captained Mumbai domestically and led India to a 4-1 T20 series win against Australia and a 1-1 draw in South Africa.
