SL vs IND, T20I: How did Suryakumar Yadav fare as a Team India captain? Suryakumar Yadav captained India for the first time.
India won a thriller in the third T20I against Sri Lanka and wrapped up the series with a 3-0 margin. The new full-time T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has proved his mettle as skipper in the shortest format. He has shown the qualities to lead India in T20Is and win as many matches as possible. A few vital things stood out about SKY’s captaincy during the series. Here’s a detailed discussion.
SKY not averse to taking risks and likes to experiment
The three T20Is show that SKY is not rigid as a captain. He is extremely flexible, ready to take risks, and experiments with both batting and bowling, challenging his players to do well for themselves and the team.
In the last match, he threw the ball to Rinku Singh in the vital 19th over when the southpaw had hardly bowled in T20 cricket. But SKY had read the conditions well and knew even a part-time spinner could do wonders on the track. Rinku reposed the faith by picking two wickets and giving away just three runs. Later, SKY took on the gamble of bowling the 20th over himself to defend six runs and took the match to the super over.
It shows that SKY is ready to take risks and give the team the chance to force a positive result. He experimented by bowling two new bowlers in the last two overs, even when there was an over left from the experienced Mohammed Siraj. But SKY had taken a calculated risk, as spinners would be difficult to hit at the Pallekele ground. Later, he used Washington Sundar in the Super Over, and it paid off again. Sundar was playing just his first match of the series and won the Player of the Match award.
Not only in bowling, SKY even experimented with his team’s batting order during the series to throw challenges at his players to play out of their comfort zone and do well for the team. He was not averse to dropping himself a spot or two to give other hitters a new spot to play and bring out the best in them. He pushed Rinku ahead of himself in the third T20I. Although it didn’t pay off, SKY showed he is a leader who is flexible and is working in the greater interest of his players’ welfare and the team’s goals.
Read More: What makes world no. 2 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav the right fit for captaining India?
SKY is a bowler’s captain
Suryakumar Yadav gives free rope to his bowlers, allows them to set fields, and does not interfere with their thinking. When Khaleel Ahmed was struggling with his line in the 18th over of the third T20I, it was the experienced seamer Siraj who came up to advise his new-ball partner. SKY expressed a cool demeanour when Khaleel gave away easy extras.
When just nine runs needed to be defended off 12 balls, he didn’t panic and trusted his bowlers. He showed confidence in Rinku to do the job in the 19th over, and the Kolkata player didn’t disappoint. Rinku had the backing of his skipper and kept his calm to bowl the match-changing 19th over. SKY also put a lot of trust in Riyan Parag, making him bowl 9.2 overs in three games, the second most after Ravi Bishnoi’s 12 overs. Parag bowled extremely well and did the third spinner’s job to perfection during the series.
SKY’s positive approach
Even though India were under the pump in the third T20I, they never gave up and kept fighting till the end. Credit goes to skipper SKY, who kept motivating his players to fight till the end. SKY told the media in the post-match conference, “When we were going in during our fielding sessions, I told them I had seen such kinds of games. I think if we put our heart in for one and a half hours, we can pull it off.” This self-belief helped India grab a win from the jaws of defeat.
What also stood out was SKY’s easy and calm persona, which rubs off on his teammates. SKY looked the same as his teammates and didn’t carry the aura that he was the captain and that everything began and ended with him. This approach has helped him and his teammates come together as a team in this series and wrap it up with a 3-0 whitewash.
India won a thriller in the third T20I against Sri Lanka and wrapped up the series with a 3-0 margin. The new full-time T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has proved his mettle as skipper in the shortest format. He has shown the qualities to lead India in T20Is and win as many matches as possible. A few vital things stood out about SKY’s captaincy during the series. Here’s a detailed discussion.
Read More: SL vs IND, T20I, 2024: Quest for batting all-rounders, Surya’s bold captaincy positives for India
SKY not averse to taking risks and likes to experiment
The three T20Is show that SKY is not rigid as a captain. He is extremely flexible, ready to take risks, and experiments with both batting and bowling, challenging his players to do well for themselves and the team.
In the last match, he threw the ball to Rinku Singh in the vital 19th over when the southpaw had hardly bowled in T20 cricket. But SKY had read the conditions well and knew even a part-time spinner could do wonders on the track. Rinku reposed the faith by picking two wickets and giving away just three runs. Later, SKY took on the gamble of bowling the 20th over himself to defend six runs and took the match to the super over.
It shows that SKY is ready to take risks and give the team the chance to force a positive result. He experimented by bowling two new bowlers in the last two overs, even when there was an over left from the experienced Mohammed Siraj. But SKY had taken a calculated risk, as spinners would be difficult to hit at the Pallekele ground. Later, he used Washington Sundar in the Super Over, and it paid off again. Sundar was playing just his first match of the series and won the Player of the Match award.
Not only in bowling, SKY even experimented with his team’s batting order during the series to throw challenges at his players to play out of their comfort zone and do well for the team. He was not averse to dropping himself a spot or two to give other hitters a new spot to play and bring out the best in them. He pushed Rinku ahead of himself in the third T20I. Although it didn’t pay off, SKY showed he is a leader who is flexible and is working in the greater interest of his players’ welfare and the team’s goals.
SKY is a bowler’s captain
SKY gives free rope to his bowlers, allows them to set fields, and does not interfere with their thinking. When Khaleel Ahmed was struggling with his line in the 18th over of the third T20I, it was the experienced seamer Siraj who came up to advise his new-ball partner. SKY expressed a cool demeanour when Khaleel gave away easy extras.
When just nine runs needed to be defended off 12 balls, he didn’t panic and trusted his bowlers. He showed confidence in Rinku to do the job in the 19th over, and the Kolkata player didn’t disappoint. Rinku had the backing of his skipper and kept his calm to bowl the match-changing 19th over. SKY also put a lot of trust in Riyan Parag, making him bowl 9.2 overs in three games, the second most after Ravi Bishnoi’s 12 overs. Parag bowled extremely well and did the third spinner’s job to perfection during the series.
SKY’s positive approach
Even though India were under the pump in the third T20I, they never gave up and kept fighting till the end. Credit goes to skipper SKY, who kept motivating his players to fight till the end. SKY told the media in the post-match conference, “When we were going in during our fielding sessions, I told them I had seen such kinds of games. I think if we put our heart in for one and a half hours, we can pull it off.” This self-belief helped India grab a win from the jaws of defeat.
What also stood out was SKY’s easy and calm persona, which rubs off on his teammates. SKY looked the same as his teammates and didn’t carry the aura that he was the captain and that everything began and ended with him. This approach has helped him and his teammates come together as a team in this series and wrap it up with a 3-0 whitewash.
Read More: SL vs IND: Areas Gautam Gambhir needs to address considering long-term goals
