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To use a cliche, when a new leader joins a company, they usually shake things up to imprint their identity on it, bring fresh ideas, and take centre stage.
However, Suryakumar Yadav may not be nearly that kind of leader. He has previously captained India in seven games as an interim captain, but this will be his first match as regular captain. He is expected to be a reliable presence at the wheel. Why, moreover, would he be anything other? If something isn’t broken, why try to fix it?
“The same train will continue,” Suryakumar said. “Only the engine has changed. The bogies (carriages) are the same.”
If this seems upbeat, it’s because the new captain of India has something to cheer about. Charith Asalanka, his opponent, is taking over a team that is having trouble making it into important international competitions.
In contrast, India boasts not only a World Cup-winning squad but also an IPL champion in Gautam Gambhir, its coach. He formerly collaborated with Suryakumar with Kolkata Knight Riders. Suryakumar spoke highly of their relationship.
“It’s now been 10 years since we’ve been working together, even though I went into a different franchise in 2018 and he also went to another. We used to keep in touch, talk about the game, even if we were in different teams. There have been learnings in the last six years too when I was not with him.
“Our bond is special, we have spoken about the upcoming three T20s, not in great detail but we know each other fairly well, we can read each other’s body language. There are some things he understands even if I don’t say them in words. There’s a special bond between a captain and coach. I’m very excited for this journey.”
Still, there are those who have invested in the Suryakumar adventure besides Gambhir. He has had Rohit as his captain in both the Indian team and past IPL seasons. He’s learnt a lot from Rohit, Suryakumar claimed.
“What I’ve learned from Rohit is that he is always a leader on and off the field, not just as a captain, there’s a big difference in the two. A leader stands with his players and guides them about how to play T20s, how to win games, and that’s what I’ve learnt from him.”