In 2014-15, Suryakumar Yadav was a callow 24-year-old, whose Mumbai captaincy stint ended in acrimonious circumstances. Some of his teammates complained against him for being abrasive and Surya was reprimanded by the Mumbai Cricket Association. And with Mumbai on the brink of the Ranji Trophy elimination, he stepped down.
Cut to 2024, and after appointing him as Rohit Sharma’s successor in the Indian T20I team, chief selector Ajit Agarkar spoke about getting his teammates’ feedback. Over the years, Surya has evolved as a cricketer and as an individual. He is one of the most popular players in the dressing room.
The cricketer spoke about the change. “It’s a complete swap,” Surya said at the pre-match press conference. “2014-15 is almost 10 years now. A lot of things have changed. I have become a different version altogether. In 2016, I got married also. And I have learnt a lot from different captains I have played under and obviously Rohit Sharma, who has a great influence on me. I will take this team forward in my own style.”
One of his main tasks would be to understand his fellow players and he needs to keep Hardik Pandya on his side. As a seam-bowling all-rounder, Pandya is peerless in Indian cricket. He was India’s vice-captain at the T20 World Cup. But as Rohit retired from T20Is, a natural succession didn’t happen. Pandya now doesn’t even have the consolation of vice-captaincy and the team management will have to ensure that he is not affected by the snub.
“Hardik’s role doesn’t change at all,” said Surya. “He remains a massively important player for us. The way he performed at the (T20) World Cup; we hope he will continue to perform the same way.”
Does captaincy bring added pressure? “Pressure is fun,” the 33-year-old responded, adding that his batting style won’t change. “Captaincy has given me added responsibility, but my brand of cricket remains the same.”
One can expect Surya to carry forward Rohit’s legacy in the T20 side. “Above all else, Rohit Sharma was a leader,” he said. “I have learned the art of leadership from him. The template will be the same.”
A decade ago, when Gautam Gambhir was Kolkata Knight Riders captain, he spotted leadership potential in Surya. The former KKR skipper wanted to groom the youngster. Both eventually parted ways with the franchise before Gambhir came back to mentor the side in the IPL this year. He is now India coach and Surya is his T20I skipper. The two are expected to form a good partnership.
“I have always had a special bond with Gautam Gambhir, since 2014,” Surya recalled. “Even after leaving KKR, I kept in touch with him. We understand each other’s body language.”
A question was asked on Riyan Parag. During the IPL this term, as Parag was going great guns, Surya had made a post on his X (the erstwhile Twitter) handle, praising the young batter. “He is a changed guy, RIYAN PARAG 2.0. Watch out,” Surya wrote. A couple of months down the line, Parag was in the Indian team but he didn’t have a good series in Zimbabwe, scoring 2 and 22 in the two matches he played. Eyebrows were raised when he was picked ahead of Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the Sri Lanka series. Surya explained the rationale behind Parag’s selection. “He carries a certain X-factor.”
On the face of it, a T20I series against Sri Lanka is not a high-octane affair. But the three matches will give Surya an opportunity to get into the groove as India’s captain in the shortest format. The selectors made him the skipper because they wanted a continuation of Rohit’s legacy. The ultimate focus is the next T20I World Cup in 2026. But every captain needs time to bed in, and from that perspective, a good beginning would augur well for Surya and the team.