Suryakumar Yadav, the newly appointed captain of the Indian cricket team, is taking some time to process the overwhelming feeling of leading his country. However, when he steps out onto the field with his bat, he prefers to leave the responsibilities of leadership behind in the dressing room. Surya, as he is fondly called, made his captaincy debut in the senior Indian team during the first T20 International against Australia in Vishakhapatnam. Not only did he lead the team to a two-wicket victory, but he also showcased his exceptional batting skills by scoring 80 runs off just 42 balls.
Expressing his pride, Surya said, “I think it’s a proud moment. Whenever you play cricket, representing India is always on your mind. It will take some time for this feeling to sink in, but I am very proud.” When asked about how he manages the dual responsibilities of batting and leadership, he replied, “I left the captaincy baggage in the dressing room. I just tried to enjoy my batting, whether I face 10 or 40 balls.”
During the match, Rinku Singh, who has only played six T20Is, contributed significantly by scoring an unbeaten 22 runs off 14 balls. His calmness under pressure impressed Surya, who commented, “The way the boys kept their nerve was great to see. It was a tailor-made situation for Rinku. His composure relaxed me as well.”
Surya also acknowledged the exceptional performance of Mukesh Kumar, who bowled the final over of the Australian innings and conceded only five runs. “It was huge,” Surya praised Mukesh, adding, “The way all three fast bowlers brought us back into the game after 16 overs was an incredible achievement.”
Despite the absence of dew, which could have made chasing the target challenging, Surya admitted that the small ground favored the batsmen. “I thought there would be a little bit of dew, but there wasn’t. It isn’t a big ground, and I knew batting would become easier. I thought they might score 230-235 runs, but our bowlers did really well,” he explained, expressing his satisfaction.
Surya and Ishan Kishan, his teammate, joined forces when the Indian team was struggling at 22 for two. Both players have faced similar situations several times while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). “We just wanted to be positive, enjoy ourselves, and express our abilities. I told Kishan to focus on batting and not think about the target. After 10 overs, it became a tailor-made situation. Scoring 100 runs off 60 balls happens almost every other day in the IPL,” Surya shared.
As Suryakumar Yadav embarks on his captaincy journey, this victory against Australia serves as a promising start to his leadership career.
