The upcoming first T20I against Sri Lanka will be a special match for newly-appointed India captain Suryakumar Yadav. While the right-handed batsman has led the T20 team in the past, the upcoming match will be his first as permanent captain.

Earlier this month, the Mumbai star replaced the legendary Rohit Sharma as India’s new T20I captain. Rohit retired from the shortest format of the game after leading India to glory at the T20 World Cup last month. While many expected Hardik Pandya to become the new captain, the team management and selectors decided to give the responsibility to Suryakumar Yadav.

The star batsman has established himself as one of the best T20I batsmen in the world in recent years and will be looking to make a similar impact as captain as well. And ahead of his first match as India’s new T20I captain, former India batsman Mohammad Kaif has backed him to excel as a captain.

On Saturday (July 27), Kaif took to X to wish Suryakumar luck ahead of his debut as captain. She also said that the new India captain has been a disciple of Rohit Sharma and that will help him lead the team.

“Suryakumar Yadav took a game-winning catch for the team and took home the World Cup title. Today we will see him leading India against Sri Lanka. Our prayers are with him. He is a brilliant player,” Kaif said.

“At 33, he has been given the captaincy. He is a disciple of Rohit Sharma. He must have learnt a lot from him as he has spent a lot of time with him. As they are also very good friends, I think the experience with Rohit Sharma will be very useful for him.

“He looks calm and collected, stays relaxed and plays winning innings for the bowlers. So I think Suryakumar Yadav will do a great job as captain,” he added.

Mohammad Kaif warns Suryakumar Yadav:

While Mohammad Kaif backed Suryakumar Yadav to do a good job as captain, he also issued a timely warning to him. The former cricketer told the new captain not to expect an easy ride, saying he would face criticism from all sides and urged him to stay strong.

“There will be criticism. People will talk bad about him at times, like they did with Rohit Sharma. After the IPL, people wondered why he was being taken to the World Cup. But he went to play in the World Cup and his experience came in handy. At 37, Rohit Sharma won the World Cup,” Kaif said.

Why being friends and teammates with Rohit Sharma will help new T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav? Listen to this video. #Suryakumaryadav pic.twitter.com/mbDrLnsU6T

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 27, 2024