I Don’t Want To Be Captain, I Want To Shine on My Own Terms

India leader Suryakumar Yadav, whose leadership skills were evident during the initial T20I against Sri Lanka, expressed his desire to categorize himself as a guide rather than a skipper. When Sri Lanka’s opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis caused havoc in Pallekele, the 214-run total began to seem like an easy target for the hosts. Sri Lanka swiftly reached 84/0 in the ninth over and appeared poised to disrupt the start of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar’s era.

With India deploying only five key bowlers, Suryakumar was running low on choices. In the ninth over, he reintroduced Arshdeep Singh into the action, hoping for a breakthrough. The young left-armer delivered and eliminated Mendis from the crease. Despite this setback, Sri Lanka did not abandon their aggressive approach. However, the Sri Lankans were compelled to take a step back after Suryakumar introduced Axar Patel in the 15th over. With the pitch providing turn, Axar worked his magic and dismissed Kusal Perera and set-batter Nissanka to seize control of the game from the hosts.

Suryakumar’s leadership abilities were acknowledged and commended by former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan. Nevertheless, Suryakumar aspires to be more than just the captain of the India T20I team. “I… I don’t want to be a captain; I want to be a leader. That’s it. It felt good to see such good support here and in this country,” Suryakumar said in a video shared by BCCI on X.

One of the key highlights of the match was Suryakumar entrusting the ball to Riyan Parag. The young player, who failed to deliver with the bat, made valuable contributions with the ball. He read the spinning track, identified the spots for his deliveries, and claimed a three-wicket haul while conceding just five runs in his 1.2 overs.

The 33-year-old shed light on his decision to hand the ball to Parag at a crucial juncture of the game. “This Riyan Parag can be special because I have seen him bowl in the IPL as well as in the nets. And I also mentioned during the press conference that he possesses an X-factor,” Suryakumar stated.

India proceeded to successfully defend their total by limiting Sri Lanka to 170. With a 1-0 lead in the series, India secured an insurmountable advantage in the second T20I on Sunday.