After proving his mettle as a batsman in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav will look to make a similar impact as a captain as well. The newly-appointed Team India skipper will begin his tenure on Saturday (July 27) with the first match of the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka.

While Suryakumar Yadav has led India in T20Is in the past, the upcoming game will be his first as permanent captain. Earlier this month, he replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in T20s. While Hardik Pandya was widely expected to become the new captain, the selectors and the new team management handed over the responsibility to Suryakumar Yadav.

And ahead of Suryakumar Yadav’s introduction as captain, former India coach Ravi Shastri gave him an important piece of advice. Shastri backed the new captain to shine but was also quick to issue a warning. The former India all-rounder said Suryakumar needs to quickly learn to juggle India’s bowling options to excel as captain.

“One thing he (Suryakumar) will have to learn from his team is what are the strengths of his players and what are the limitations,” Shastri told ICC.

“I never say a pitcher has a weakness, I say he has a limitation and then there are strengths. And then you have to focus on the right things and prepare accordingly. I think that’s what he’ll have to learn,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav is street smart: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri has called Suryakumar Yadav an intelligent cricketer and backed his ability to excel as a captain. He said that the new India skipper will take quick decisions and his closeness with all the players, including the veterans, will help him manage the team well.

“We know he’s street smart… he’s one of the best T20 players in the world right now,” Shastri said.

“He’s a match-winner on his own, he comes into the team day in and day out in that format of play on his own, so I think it’s not a bad idea at all.

“I think it will [captaincy style] “It will be very similar to his personality, his way of playing. He will think very quickly and, because he knows all these players, even the veterans, I think he will be in a great position to manage the team,” he added.

Suryakumar has led India in a total of 7 T20Is so far. Out of those seven games, India won 5. He also performed well with the bat in those games. The right-handed batsman scored 300 runs with the help of a century and two half-centuries.