Scott Styris, former New Zealand cricketer, has claimed that Suryakumar Yadav is just a stop-gap arrangement as India T20I captain. Styris also stated that Gautam Gambhir is still trying to find the next long-term captain of the Indian team across formats.
Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I leadership has begun on a high note, with back-to-back victories over Sri Lanka to seal the three-match series.
The outstanding batsman has already led India against Australia and South Africa, but things have changed; he is no longer an interim captain on a tour; instead, the selectors have chosen him to succeed Rohit Sharma, who led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Surya was promoted to a major role following the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as head coach after the selection committee received favorable comments on the Mumbai batter, and he beat off Hardik Pandya for the position.
However, Suryakumar is seen as a T20I specialist as he has been ignored for the Sri Lanka ODI series.
Suryakumar Yadav short-term option as India captain: Scott Styris
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris suggested that new head coach Gambhir didn’t get a natural skipper as Surya is just a short-term option for the Indian team. Styris also believes that the BCCI is considering Shubman as a future captain, but he is not yet ready, therefore they made a wise decision by appointing Suryakumar as captain for the time being.
“I think he’s a short-term option. I don’t think Gambhir has a natural captain among the players that he has right now. He’s buying himself time as to who will be the next long-term captain,” Styris said on Sony Sports.
“You know, someone like Gill I think could do the job for 10 years for India, but he’s not quite ready right now, so I think it was a really smart decision to bring in someone with a bit more experience,” Styris added.
However, the ex-New Zealand cricketer also stated that If things go well for Surya, he may captain India in the next T20 World Cup, when they will compete as defending winners.
“If he (SKY) does a decent enough job, then he might be the captain at the next T20 World Cup. And then after that, you can look at Gill or any of the other potential options around. But yeah, I think it’s a really clever decision,” said Styris.
The T20 World Cup 2026 will be hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
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