Former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar has lauded the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain, emphasizing the batter’s leadership qualities and strong rapport with his teammates. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sridhar delved into the reasons behind the BCCI‘s decision to entrust the captaincy to the flamboyant batter.

R Sridhar highlights Suryakumar Yadav’s strong leadership credentials and player trust

Sridhar highlighted Suryakumar’s ability to exhibit leadership qualities throughout his stint with the Indian team.

“He is someone who has exhibited leadership qualities throughout his tenure of being with the Indian team. That’s held him in good stead, again falling back to his rapport with the other players, how they look up to him,” Sridhar observed.

The former coach believes that Suryakumar’s strong bond with his teammates has been a crucial factor in his elevation to the captaincy role.

Suryakumar’s availability and match fitness

Another key aspect that tilted the scales in Surya’s favour is his consistent availability for matches. Unlike some players who require careful workload management, he is expected to be fit and available for every match India plays. This factor has significantly enhanced his chances of being considered for the captaincy.

“The very fact that Surya is someone who will be on the park for every match India is playing and not being bothered about workload monitoring is something which has tilted the scales in his favour, in terms of captaincy,” said Sridhar.

Surya’s successful leadership stints in Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya’s Absence

Sridhar further emphasized that Suryakumar has already demonstrated his leadership capabilities by successfully captaining India in matches where Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya were unavailable.

“Some of the matches he has captained India, when Rohit and Hardik were not available, has given confidence to the BCCI that he can do an excellent job,” he added.

These successful stints have undoubtedly boosted the confidence of the selectors and management in Suryakumar’s ability to lead the team.

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Hardik Pandya’s importance to the team

While lauding the mumbaikar’s appointment, Sridhar also acknowledged the importance of Hardik to the Indian team. He expressed confidence in Hardik’s return to form and emphasized the need to manage his workload carefully.

“I am sure Hardik will come back. He has just won you a World Cup. Hardik is somebody rare to find,” Sridhar stated.

The former coach stressed the importance of ensuring Hardik’s availability for crucial series and ICC tournaments.

“We can take good care of him till the time he is playing cricket and making sure he is available for the marquee series and all the big ICC tournaments,” he added.

Overall, Sridhar believes that Surya is the ideal choice for the T20I captaincy. His leadership qualities, strong rapport with players, and consistent availability make him a natural fit for the role. With Hardik Pandya expected to return to the team, India has a formidable leadership core in place, which augurs well for the team’s future in the shortest format of the game.

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