Former India pacer picks Afghanistan star over Suryakumar Yadav in 'This or That' challenge involving T20I captains

Former India fast bowler Varun Aaron went with Rashid Khan as the leading skipper in T20I cricket in a 'This or That' challenge, ignoring other big names like Suryakumar Yadav and Aiden Markram, among others.

Rashid recently led Afghanistan in the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. However, the Blue Tigers couldn't progress beyond the group stage, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Despite the debacle, Aaron preferred to have Rashid as his leading skipper in the shortest format of the game.

In a segment with ESPNcricinfo, Aaron picked Rashid from the outset and stuck with him right through the contest. Apart from Suryakumar and Markram, the former right-arm seamer ignored the likes of Salman Ali Agha, Shai Hope, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Santner, Harry Brook, and Charith Asalanka. All these players are currently leading their respective nations in T20I cricket.

Suryakumar recently captained the Men in Blue to the Asia Cup title. During the eight-team tournament, India remained unbeaten, winning seven matches on the trot to lift the coveted title for a record-extending ninth time. He has lost just four out of 29 T20Is so far as captain.

Meanwhile, Markram led South Africa to the finals of the T20 World Cup last year. He became the first player to captain the Proteas to the finals of a men's T20 World Cup tournament. However, his overall captaincy record in T20Is is disappointing, having registered just 14 wins out of 31 as a leader.

On the other hand, Rashid has led the Afghans in 38 T20Is. Afghanistan have registered 20 wins, resulting in a win percentage of 52.63. In the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan made it to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by South Africa.

After the dismal campaign in the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have suffered consecutive defeats against Bangladesh in Sharjah. The two teams will square off once again in the inconsequential third T20I on Sunday, October 5.