Ravichandran Ashwin’s special message to India’s stand-in T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav is, “Go well, buddy.”

India will try to recover in the next five-match Twenty20 International series at home against Australia after losing heartbreakingly to the same opponents on Sunday in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. For the T20I match, the majority of Indian players on the World Cup roster have been rested. For the first time, Suryakumar Yadav, who participated in seven matches in the major tournament, will be leading the Indian squad.

Although Hardik Pandya was expected to captain the squad in this series, he sustained an ankle injury in the World Cup’s opening half and will be out indefinitely. The logical choice to coach a group of skilled but unskilled players was Suryakumar Yadav. Ravichandran Ashwin, who also played one game for India in the World Cup, gave words of encouragement to the Mumbai batter. In a tale shared on his official Instagram account, the seasoned off-spinner congratulated the top-ranked T20I batsman on being selected as the ‘Men in Blue’ skipper.

“It’s an honour to lead the nation, buddy. Go well.” Ravichandran Ashwin posted on his Instagram story.

For the first three games, Ruturaj Gaikwad, a talented player who helped India win the gold medal at the Asian Games, would be Suryakumar’s deputy. For the final two Twenty20 Internationals, Shreyas Iyer will join the team and take Gaikwad’s role as vice-captain. Additionally, after being included in the World Cup squad, fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will take the field against Australia. Axar Patel is back in the side and in good shape.

On Thursday, November 23, the first of the five Twenty20 Internationals will be played at Visakhapatnam. With the T20 World Cup set to take place in the USA and the West Indies next year, the international teams will now focus more on the game’s shortest format.