Suryakumar Yadav named India’s T20I captain ahead of Sri Lanka tour, succeeds Rohit Sharma

Suryakumar Yadav, who was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, will take over from Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the shortest format after the final win against South Africa.

Suryakumar Yadav was chosen as skipper over Hardik Pandya, the designated vice-captain during India’s T20 World Cup title run in the West Indies and USA. | Photo Credit: PTI

Suryakumar Yadav was on Thursday appointed as India’s T20I captain ahead of the three-match series against Sri Lanka starting on July 27.

The 33-year-old, part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, will succeed Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the shortest format following the final win against South Africa.

Suryakumar was chosen as skipper over Hardik Pandya, the designated vice-captain during India’s title run in the West Indies and USA.

Previously, Suryakumar led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia in the T20I series last November and followed it up with a 1-1 draw in South Africa. 

Suryakumar has also captained Mumbai in domestic cricket and led the Mumbai Indians in a sole IPL game. 

The upcoming series against Sri Lanka will also be the first assignment for newly appointed Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, who takes over from Rahul Dravid, as the team looks to build towards the 2026 T20 World Cup, which India will co-host.