Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in the three T20Is during the tour to Sri Lanka starting July 27 in Pallekele. Rohit Sharma will return to lead the ODI team for the first time since last year’s World Cup final defeat as KL Rahul also returns to the national fold.
Suryakumar takes over as India’s T20I captain from Rohit who announced his retirement after the team’s T20 World Cup title win last month in Barbados. The 33-year-old Suryakumar made his international debut in a T20I against England in 2021 and has amassed over 2300 runs in the format with four hundreds and 19 fifties.
The Mumbai batter has previously led India in seven T20Is, scoring 300 runs with a hundred. It is understood that Hardik Pandya’s fitness concerns and workload management were key factors in the management’s decision to opt for Suryakumar as the captain instead.
Meanwhile, Rahul marks his return to the national side after his injury during the home Test series against England earlier this year. The 32-year-old recorded 520 runs for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024 season but missed a World Cup spot.