Ahead of the first T20I in Gwalior, Suryakumar Yadav on a lighter note hinted that he is open to the Indian Premier League (IPL) captaincy in the future.
“Aapne googly daal diya. Aage dekhte hain. Baaki aapko pata toh chal hee jayega (You have bowled a googly. Let’s see what happens in the future. You guys will get to know about it (laughs),” Surya told reporters when they queried him about IPL captaincy.
This will be Surya’s fourth series as captain and the 34-year-old says he has enjoyed the role so far.
“Really enjoying this new role. When I was playing under Rohit bhai’s captaincy in Mumbai Indians, I used to give my inputs whatever I felt at that time. I captained against Sri Lanka earlier and had led the teams against Australia and South Africa as well. I have learnt from other captains on how to take the team forward,” he said.
Mumbai Indians players Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav with LSG skipper KL Rahul during a practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. (PTI)
Speedster Mayank Yadav is expected to make his debut and India’s captain has made it clear that there is no concern over the pacer’s fitness.
“Mayank has an X factor in him. He has that extra pace. I haven’t faced him in the nets but he is special,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for youngsters like Mayank. We have to nurture players like him, he is a special talent. Mayank is fully fit and fine right now,” he added.
Surya also mentioned that Sanju Samson will open along with Abhishek Sharma in all three matches. “Sanju Samson will open the innings. He will play as an opener throughout the series,” he said.
On the pitch
Surya has maintained that the pitch at the newly-built Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium will favour the batters.
“Wicket has looked great as of now. We have trained at the practice pitches, and all of them are looking like a belter. So I don’t think there will be a massive change on the main pitch. I am expecting it to be competitive.”
