The selection of Suryakumar Yadav as India’s Twenty20 International captain, according to former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styri s, is merely a temporary measure; the ultimate goal is to have Shubman Gill leading the team in a few years.
Since Gill’s first international cricket career, Styris has been one of his greatest supporters. In T20I cricket, the Punjabi player took over as the Indian team’s vice-captain, replacing Hardik Pandya. In ODIs, he was also mentioned as Rohit Sharma’s deputy. In the meantime, Suryakumar Yadav was named captain of the team for the shortest format of cricket. He will take charge of the team on Saturday, July 27, for the first of the three Twenty20 Internationals between Sri Lanka and India.
Suryakumar’s selection as India captain, according to Styris, isn’t a long-term strategy because he will serve as a stand-in for Gill as he sharpens his leadership abilities in preparation for taking over.
“Look, all a vice-captain is doing is studying the fundamentals of leadership and managing a cricket team. As vice captain, Shubman Gill is fine in my opinion. In the IPL, he is captain. There’s no problem with that because he captains several well-known players, Styris stated in an interview with India Today.
“The big picture is more important. It seems to me that all of the veteran players are retiring since Hardik Pandya isn’t the captain. Perhaps Gautam Gambhir views Suryakumar Yadav as more of a bridge or a temporary captain for a year or two because he doesn’t think he is a natural leader at this time. And in a few years, Gill might take over in that capacity,” he continued.
Gill made his international debut in 2019, but the former all-rounder from New Zealand said that he still has a lot to learn. Before assuming leadership of the team, Styris believes that the management has given him ample opportunity to become more consistent across all formats.
“Shubman Gill still needs to improve significantly in his own game. Although India has put on some incredibly impressive shows, they now need to be consistent in all three formats. It’s practically as if you’re teaching him how to be a captain. Though we’re keeping an eye on you for the future, right now we just want you to focus on your cricket,” Styris added.
It was a very wise move to name Suryakumar Yadav captain because Gill is not yet ready: Scott Styris
Styris pointed out that it was a wise choice for new head coach Gautam Gambhir to start with the seasoned Suryakumar because his team lacked a natural captain. Along with endorsing Gill to lead India for a decade, Styris also forecasted when Gill’s captaincy will begin.
“He seems like a temporary solution to me. Among the players that Gambhir now has, I don’t think he has a natural captain. The cricketer-turned-commentator said, “So, he’s buying himself some time as to who will be the next long-term captain.”
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“You know, Gill isn’t quite ready yet, so I think it was a really smart move to bring in someone with a little bit more experience. I think he could do the job for India for ten years.” Captain him, someone like Suryakumar. He might skipper the team in the upcoming T20 World Cup if he performs well enough. After then, you might consider Gill or any other available possibilities. However, he said, “I believe it’s a pretty smart move.
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