Watch: 'Captain' Suryakumar Yadav accidentally leaks 'Axar Patel' strategy ahead of Sri Lanka T20Is as he warns all-rounder

Newly appointed Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav is all set for his first assignment as the captain of the team. The Men in Blue will be taking on the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in the three-match T20I series, which will begin on 27th July.

The Indian National Cricket Team has seen quite a few changes after the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma, who was the captain of the team, retired from the format after leading the team to the title win. Him hanging up boots opened up the role of captain in the team.

It was almost certain that Hardik Pandya would take over the captaincy of the team. This was because the all-rounder was the vice-captain of the team in the white-ball format and also captained the team when Rohit Sharma was rested. But it wasn't the case as he didn't get the role in the shortest format.

This was because head coach Gautam Gambhir, selectors, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India weren't keen to give the captaincy to Hardik Pandya. They considered the all-rounder's injury history and workload management as the reason for not giving him the leadership of the team.

This paved way for Suryakumar Yadav to be appointed as the captain of the Indian T20I team. The selectors, coach, and the BCCI felt that the all-rounder was the most deserving candidate and hence the batter was appointed as the captain and is likely to lead the team till the T20 World Cup 2026.

It's fair to say that in the T20I format, no one is near to Suryakumar Yadav as a batter. He has been the best batter in the format for the last few years and has been consistently scoring runs for the team in the format. He is also the No.2 ranked T20I batter in the ICC rankings.

Apart from the batting front, Suryakumar Yadav also has a decent amount of captaincy experience. When Rohit Sharma was rested and Hardik Pandya was injured, he was given the responsibility. He captained the team in the series against Australia after the ICC World Cup 2023 and then the South Africa series. He lost two games and won 5. With him now being given a permanent role, he would be eager to start on high and take the team to glory in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Suryakumar Yadav takes a jibe at Axar Patel

India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit the ground a day after the India National Cricket Team reached Sri Lanka. In the video that has gone viral on the internet, the batter can be seen walking down the stairs along with Mohammed Siraj.

As the duo started running, Suryakumar Yadav turned back at Axar Patel and told him not to hurry down the stairs with his kit bag. He then looked at the camera and cheekily remarked, “Teesre chauthe over ke baad tu hi dikhega (You will be bowling after over 3 or 4).” This was a clear hint that Axar will be in the starting XI and will offer his services with the ball in the powerplay overs.

Here's the video:

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