On Monday, July 22, 2024, the Indian cricket team, under the new captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, left for Sri Lanka. The island nation will play the Men in Blue in a three-match T20I and ODI series.
After India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja declared their retirement from the format. This tour represents a major change in the Indian T20I team.
The series, which starts on July 27, will serve as a trial run for Yadav’s revamped Indian squad. The BCCI, which is the Indian cricket board, released behind-the-scenes video of the players’ voyage.
Mumbai to Pallekele via Colombo ✈️ 🚌#TeamIndia have reached Sri Lanka 🇱🇰#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/ffDYJOV7wm
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 22, 2024
The team is being accompanied by assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and recently hired head coach Gautam Gambhir. During a pre-tour press conference, Gambhir declared that Ryan ten Doeschate will eventually become a member of the coaching staff.
Suryakumar possesses the attributes required to be a captain: Ajit Agarkar
With the anticipation that South African pacer Morne Morkel will join the team following the series, former spinner Sairaj Bahutule has been named as the team’s acting bowling coach in an interim role. Although there were some questions over the selection of Yadav over Hardik Pandya as the full-time T20I skipper, selectors chairman Ajit Agarkar responded to the decision.
“Hardik remains a crucial player for us,” the statement reads. He has definitely struggled with fitness. The coach or selectors therefore find it challenging. It’s obvious that staying in shape is difficult, so we need someone who can commit to regular exercise. That being said, we think Surya possesses the skills required to be a captain,” Agarkar stated.
Agarkar underlined how crucial player availability and fitness are when making decisions. He added that players are informed by the selection committee of any alterations to their positions on the team.
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Since we’ve seen what Hardik can accomplish at the World Cup with both the bat and the ball, we also think we can manage him better. We inquire with each participant about any changes to their role. Yes, we have spoken with him, Agarkar said.