Star SKY’s Mumbai mates not surprised over his appointment as T20I captain

Vinayak Mane and Dhawal Kulkarni

Ajit Agarkar's national selection committee preferred to have attacking batsman Suryakumar Yadav as skipper in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on July 27 at Pallekele.

Suryakumar will replace his Mumbai teammate Rohit Sharma, who led from the front to win the T20 World Cup held in USA and West Indies last month but retired from the shortest form of the game after the triumph.

Suryakumar's ex-Mumbai teammates Dhawal Kulkarni and Vinayak Mane hailed the selectors' decision to appoint Surya again as India's T20 captain.

Grown as a cricketer

"Now he will be looked at as India's skipper for the 2026 T20 World Cup too. He has grown as a cricketer and individual and I am sure India with winning the T20 World Cup this year, the expectations are high. Hopefully, he replicate what Rohit did," Kulkarni told mid-day on Thursday.

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Mane, who is Parsee Gymkhana's head coach for whom Suryakumar plays local cricket for, had predicted that Suryakumar would lead India's T20 team again in a conversation with mid-day.

"I am not surprised that Surya is captain. He understands how to handle people; has matured as a personality too. I am sure he will do well, because he has always been a clever cricketer," said Mane.

Kulkarni under whom Suryakumar played Ranji Trophy with, echoed the same feelings. He said: "It is very good to know that Surya has got a great opportunity to continue what he has been doing. He is a wonderful cricketer and I am sure with his experience, he is going to do well as a leader too. He and Gautam Gambhir have played for KKR together. It's very important to understand each other as captain and coach."

While highlighting Suryakumar's approach towards the game, Mane remarked: "You can see Surya's smartness when he bats. He is ahead of the game and that is what you want as a captain - to be ahead for your other players. He is experienced and has a much calmer personality now."

‘He did the hard yards'

Kulkarni, who represented India in 12 ODIs and two T20Is, added: "Surya played when I was leading Mumbai. He did the hard yards in domestic cricket and after his wonderful performances he got the opportunity to represent India and has done well at the highest level. Management has shown faith in him and his credibility. It's a good thing for Indian cricket."