Suryakumar Yadav set to lead India ahead of Hardik Pandya in T20I leg of Sri Lanka tour

Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India ahead of Hardik Pandya in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, as per the latest reports. Pandya was Rohit Sharma’s deputy in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, which India won to break their major ICC title hoodoo.

However, SKY could take over the captaincy baton in T20Is ahead of Hardik Pandya as the all-rounder has fitness concerns and workload management issues. 

Suryakumar led India in seven T20Is in 2023 against South Africa and Australia and the team won five games. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has more captaincy experience than SKY, having led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is.

Furthermore, Pandya has the experience of leading Gujarat Titans to glory in IPL 2022 and also the tournament’s final in the following season. Pandya led Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 but could not deliver as a leader as well as a player.

However, he was able to turn the tables in the T20 World Cup as he scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.57. Pandya also scalped 11 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.61.

Pandya will be available for the T20I series but he is expected to miss the ODI series against Sri Lanka due to personal reasons. The first T20I will be played on 27th July.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill recently led India in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which the team won by 4-1 after going down in the opening game.