India adopted a revolutionary attacking approach starting from the ODI World Cup held in their home country last year, under Rohit’s leadership.This aggressive brand of cricket continued to be the team’s hallmark even after the World Cup victory in the Americas, where Rohit bid farewell to T20I cricket.
“The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged,” PTI quoted Suryakumar as saying on the eve of the first of the three T20Is against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
“Nothing changes; the brand of cricket remains the same. It (the captaincy role) doesn’t change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can do a ‘walk the talk’,” he added.
Suryakumar expressed his desire to follow the approach that Rohit had established during his tenure as captain. He aimed to emulate the leadership style and strategies that Rohit had implemented.
“What I have learnt from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it,” he said.
“He was not just a captain — there is a lot of difference between the two. He was a leader who stood in the middle of the group and showed people the way.
“How to play T20 cricket and how to win a tournament? That is what I have learnt from him,” he elaborated.
Suryakumar, who was chosen as India’s captain over Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain for the T20 World Cup, stated that Pandya’s responsibilities within the team will not change.
“Hardik’s role has always been the same. He is a very important player for the team. The way he performed in the World Cup, I hope he will continue to do the same,” he said.
Suryakumar expressed his desire for up-and-coming talents like Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh to showcase their skills and perform well during the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka. He believes that these young players have the potential to make a significant impact on the series.
“Three players have retired (and) it will be difficult to fill the shoes. But new players have obviously practiced a lot and played a lot,” he said.
“They are already doing well when they play franchise cricket and they have also done very well in the matches they played for India. I have a lot of faith in them that they will do well.”
Suryakumar Yadav, reflecting on his past, acknowledged that he has undergone a significant transformation over the last decade. It was a time when he relinquished his role as the captain of the Mumbai team due to his inappropriate behaviour towards his fellow players during matches.
“I think it is a complete swap. If you say 2014, it is almost 10 years now. In 10 years, a lot of things will change. You become a different person altogether. You get to learn a lot of things. I am also a completely changed man now,” he said.
“In 2016, I got married. So, absolutely, you have to change after that as well. But yeah, things are completely different now,” he added.
Once again, Suryakumar underlined the influence of Rohit on him.
“I got to learn a lot of things from different captains I played under and obviously, Rohit Sharma, I have been playing with him for the last six years. There are a lot of learnings taken from him and in my own style, we will take the ship forward,” he said.
Suryakumar, a key player in the Indian team, recently addressed comments made by the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir. The coach had expressed his regret for not fully utilizing Suryakumar’s potential during their time together at the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise.
However, Suryakumar remained optimistic, stating, ‘there was enough to make a turnaround’. This suggests that despite the missed opportunities in the past, he believes there is still ample time and scope for him to showcase his skills and make a significant impact in the team.
“We can fulfil that potential together now,” he said with a smile.
“Our bond has always been special. We have talked a lot. We both understand what we want to say just by our body language.
“Sometimes, even without expressing anything, we understand what each of us want to say. I am very excited for this journey. Let’s see what happens,” he said.
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