“Suryakumar Yadav Named India’s New T20I Captain, Leading the Team for Sri Lanka Series”.Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as India’s new T20I captain, succeeding Hardik Pandya, who served as vice-captain during the team’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in the USA and West Indies this June.

Suryakumar’s inaugural challenge will be the upcoming three T20Is against Sri Lanka on June 27, 28, and 30. This series marks the debut coaching stint of India’s new coach Gautam Gambhir and is viewed as the initial phase in preparing for the 2026 T20 World Cup, hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka. While Hardik remains a part of the T20I squad, Shubman Gill has been appointed as vice-captain.

Gill took charge of India during the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe following the T20 World Cup.The decision to appoint a new captain arose after Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is following the World Cup victory.

Despite Hardik serving as Rohit’s deputy during the World Cup and boasting extensive captaincy experience – having led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, in addition to leading Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the IPL – concerns over fitness and workload management likely influenced the selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar.

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Hardik had endured an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup in October-November, sidelining him until the beginning of IPL 2024, where he returned to captain Mumbai Indians. Consequently, Hardik has featured in only 46 of India’s 79 T20Is since the start of 2022.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar has previously captained the Mumbai state team in domestic competitions. Recently, he led India to a 4-1 victory over Australia in a T20I series last November, followed by a 1-1 draw in South Africa.

India’s T20I Squad for Sri Lanka tour: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.