Hardik Pandya is a very important player for the team: Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as India's new T20I captain earlier this month as he replaced Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. The Mumbai-born will begin his captaincy tenure on Saturday, July 27, when India face Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series in Pallekele.

Suryakumar came from behind to pip Hardik Pandya in a two-way race for the captaincy role. The Baroda all-rounder was expected to take over the reins as he was the second-in-command to Rohit during the T20 World Cup last month and made some excellent contributions with both bat and ball. Hardik also had the experience of leading Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the past three seasons, apart from being in charge of the Indian T20I side in 16 matches in the absence of Rohit.

Suryakumar, who played under Hardik's captaincy at Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 was eventually appointed as the captain because BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and new head coach Gautam Gambhir felt that he is more likely to remain injury-free and hence, miss fewer matches. On the eve of the first T20I, the 33-year-old asserted that Hardik is a very important member of the team and hoped that he would continue his good form from the World Cup.

“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,” Suryakumar told reporters on Friday.

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'Only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged' - Suryakumar said about replacing Rohit

Suryakumar said that the Indian team will continue with the same brand of cricket which brought them success during Rohit's captaincy tenure. The former said he is hoping to lead his side from the front.

“The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged. 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',” Suryakumar said.

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Suryakumar, who is one of the most dangerous batters in modern-day cricket, also spoke about the things he learned while playing under Rohit's leadership.

"What I have learnt from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it. 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. 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 is a lot of learnings taken from him and in my own style, we will take the ship forward,” Suryakumar explained.