Suryakumar Yadav in press conference© X (Twitter)
India's new T20I captain doesn't intend to change anything as he replaces Rohit Sharma as India's T20I captain. Surya, attending his first press conference as the full-time captain of the Indian team, gave insights into his approach as the skipper, and what changes he wishes to bring to the side in the shortest format. Speaking to the media, Surya shed light on Hardik Pandya's role in the team, now that he is no longer the vice-captain or captain. Surya also shared his admiration for his predecessor Rohit Sharma, who quit the format after a victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
"Hardik's role has always been the same. He is a very important player for the team. The way he performed in the World Cup, I hope he will continue to do the same," Surya told reporters on Friday.
"The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged," Suryakumar said on the eve of the first of the three T20Is against Sri Lanka here. "Nothing changes; the brand of cricket remains the same. It (the captaincy role) doesn't change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can do a 'walk the talk'," he added.
Suryakumar is expected to continue the Rohit Sharma leadership model in T20Is. Surya, who also played under the Hitman at Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, plans to take the learnings he took from Rohit forward.
"What I have learned from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it," he said. "He was not just a captain - there is a lot of difference between the two. He was a leader who stood in the middle of the group and showed people the way. How to play T20 cricket and how to win a tournament? That is what I have learned from him," he asserted.
"I got to learn a lot of things from different captains I played under and obviously, Rohit Sharma, I have been playing with him for the last six years. There is a lot of learnings taken from him and in my own style, we will take the ship forward," he said.
"Three players have retired (and) it will be difficult to fill the shoes. But new players have obviously practiced a lot and played a lot," he said. "They are already doing well when they play franchise cricket and they have also done very well in the matches they played for India. I have a lot of faith in them that they will do well."
"I think it is a complete swap. If you say 2014, it is almost 10 years now. In 10 years, a lot of things will change. You become a different person altogether. You get to learn a lot of things. I am also a completely changed man now," he said. "In 2016, I got married. So, absolutely, you have to change after that as well. But yeah, things are completely different now," he added.