Suryakumar Yadav admits fear of losing India T20I captaincy amid Shubman Gill’s rise but ‘it keeps me motivated’

‘Wouldn’t have played my first ball the way I did if I was affected by all this’

Suryakumar only made his international debut in a T20I at the age of 31. He didn’t get to bat in his first game, which was in Ahmedabad against England but in his second match, Suryakumar smashed 57 in 31 balls and won player of the match. He famously hit the very first ball he faced in his career for a six and said on Friday that if he was someone who let fears for his future affect him, he would’ve never hit that shot.

“If I was someone who got affected by things like these and thought so much about it, I wouldn’t have played my first ball in international cricket the way I did. So I have left that fear behind a long time back. I believe if I am working hard on myself, following things that have to be followed, working very hard and being honest to myself, the rest will be taken care of.”

Shubman Gill had become captain of the Indian Test team shortly after Rohit Sharma retired from the format earlier this year. He impressed with bat and as captain in his first assignment, in which he led India to a remarkable 2-2 draw in an epic five-Test series in England. Gill was then made ODI captain earlier this month when India announced their squad for their upcoming limited overs tour of Australia, with Rohit still remaining in the squad. Suryakumar, meanwhile, became T20I captain in July last year after Rohit retired from the format following India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.