No RIFT guaranteed as Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya come together to mentor Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh

The Indian team has started their practice sessions after landing in Sri Lanka on July 22. The first T20I will be played on July 27 in Pakllekele. Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I skipper of the side and Shubman Gill is the young vice-captain.

Hardik Pandya is a part of the team but just as a player. However, he remains a key player in the scheme of things for India in white-ball cricket.

Hardik was recently the vice-captain of India's T20 World Cup captain where they eventually became champions. He showed his all-round abilities to the max in the tournament where he scored 144 runs with the bat and took 11 wickets in 8 matches with the ball.

As per reports in Rev Sportz, the atmosphere within the Indian team at their practice sessions was a jolly one. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya were seen training together and also were involved in deep conversations. There was a direct-hit competition set up between three teams. SKY and Pandya were also seen giving batting tips to Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir needed to remind everyone that we are World Champions Reveals Shubman Gill

Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya All Smiles At Practice Session

तीन टीम बनाई गई - फ़ील्डिंग में डायरेक्ट हिट का कम्पटीशन रखा गया - सूर्या हार्दिक की खूब बात हुई -
रियान पराग - रिंकु सिंह की बल्लेबाज़ी पर हार्दिक और सूर्या काफ़ी देर दोनों से साथ बात करते दिखाई दिए साथ में थे तो मस्ती भी खूब हुई
कुल मिलाकर
सब चंगा सी pic.twitter.com/OJ4nElWXyp

— रोहित जुगलान Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) July 25, 2024

The mood in the camp was light and the overall picture too was a good one. This is Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as the head coach of the Indian team.

He takes over Rahul Dravid and by his admission said that he is taking charge of a very successful team having won the T20 World Cup recently and having made it to the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 last year.

Suryakumar Yadav was named the India T20I captain and Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir explained the reason behind this rationale decision. He said that Pandya's recent history with injuries worked against him and they believe that SKY is experienced enough to become the captain.

"You want a captain who is likely to play all the games. We think he's [Suryakumar Yadav] a deserving candidate, over time we'll see how he develops into the role," Agarkar said in a press conference on Monday (July 22).

"As regards Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. That's what we want, him to be the player that can be. Those sorts of skills are very difficult to find, what he has. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years and that then becomes a little bit more difficult for a coach or even us selectors" Agarkar added.

Suryakumar Yadav led India against Australia in a T20I series last year right after the World Cup. India won the series 4-1 under him. He also led India against South Africa earlier this year. The T20I series against Sri Lanka marks his first assignment as India'sT20I captain. His real challenge will be to help India defend their T20 World Cup title in 2026 at home.

𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗬𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘃 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘀 #????????????????????????????????????'𝘀 𝗧𝟮𝟬𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻! 🧢#SLvIND | @surya_14kumar pic.twitter.com/KmWz84jZnP

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 26, 2024

"I have always enjoyed being a leader on the field even though I am not a captain. I have always learned a lot of things from different captains. It's a good feeling, and a great responsibility also" SKY said in a video posted by BCCI ahead of the first T20I.

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