Ravi Shastri is all praise for ‘street smart’ Suryakumar Yadav but has a word of caution for Team India’s new captain

Ravi Shastri is all praise for Suryakumar Yadav, the newly-appointed T20I captain for Team India. The former Head Coach has predicted Surya would perform well as the captain. At the same time, Shastri highlighted a key area for Suryakumar to focus on to succeed as a skipper.

"One thing that he will have to learn from his side, is what are the strengths of his bowlers and what are their limitations," ICC quoted Shastri as saying.

"I never say a bowler has a weakness, I say a limitation, and then there are strengths. And, then, focus on the right things and set fields accordingly. I think that is what he will have to learn," he added.

In the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri mentioned that the SKY's most challenging task would be understanding his bowlers' strengths and weaknesses and setting the field accordingly.

Shastri believes Suryakumar can excel as India's T20I captain and expects him to adapt his dynamic batting skills. Shastri noted that Suryakumar is “street smart” and one of the best T20 players globally. 

He mentioned that Surya had been consistently performing as a match-winner. Thus, he thinks making Suryakumar captain is a good idea.

Suryakumar Yadav as a captain

As a captain, Suryakumar Yadav has scored 300 runs in 7 matches. He scored a 100 and two 50s as a T20I captain. Shastri thinks Surya’s captaincy style will match his batting style.

“He will be thinking very quickly and the fact that he knows all these players, even the senior players, I think he will be in a great position to handle the team," Shastri added.

India's tour of Sri Lanka starts with the first T20I on July 27. There will be three T20Is and three ODIs. Suryakumar was named the next T20I captain for India after Rohit Sharma hung his boots from T20I cricket after India’s victory at the T20 World Cup 2024.