The decision was announced late on Thursday when the selectors revealed the squads for India’s upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which commences on July 27.Suryakumar, aged 33, will lead a squad of 15 players announced for the three T20I matches to be held in Pallekele. However, he has not been selected for the subsequent series of three ODIs.
Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from T20 internationals following India’s World Cup victory last month. He will continue to captain the ODI team, which is set to face Sri Lanka on August 2, 4, and 7 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Despite being Rohit’s deputy during the T20 World Cup, the 30-year-old Hardik Pandya was overlooked for the captaincy role in favour of Suryakumar, who made his international debut five years after the talented all-rounder. Hardik was also not considered for T20I vice-captaincy, which was given to opener Shubman Gill who led a young squad on the tour of Zimbabwe.
A report in the Indian Express newspaper said, “feedback received by the board was that players trusted Surya more than Pandya and were more comfortable working under him”.
Pandya’s recurrent fitness issues, such as the ankle problem he suffered during the previous year’s ODI World Cup held in India, worked against his favour.
As per sources, the newly appointed coach, Gautam Gambhir, preferred a skipper without injury worries and was impressed by Suryakumar’s understanding of the game.
Suryakumar, a consistent performer in T20 cricket, has revolutionized batting in the format. Despite making his India debut at the age of 30, he quickly became the team’s reliable middle-order batter in the shortest format.
His fearless strokeplay, including his famous lap shot behind the stumps, makes him a nightmare for bowlers, earning him the reputation of a “360 degree” player for his ability to hit all around the ground.
In the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados last month, Suryakumar took a stunning catch at the boundary in a tense last over bowled by Pandya, helping India secure a thrilling victory.
Having previously captained Mumbai in domestic cricket, Suryakumar led India to a 4-1 T20I series win over Australia last year and followed it up with a 1-1 result in South Africa.
Pandya had a successful World Cup campaign with both bat and ball, but his journey has been challenging, especially after replacing Rohit as the captain of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
He faced criticism from Rohit’s fans, who booed him across various venues, and Mumbai finished at the bottom of the 10-team table in IPL 2024.
On Thursday, Pandya announced his separation from his wife and Serbian model Natasa Stankovic, adding to his personal struggles. The couple, who were married for four years, will co-parent their son.
