3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav should captain India in T20Is vs Ireland

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav is likely to lead the Men in Blue in the upcoming T20I series against Ireland. India are currently in West Indies for a multi-format tour. After the ongoing Test series, they will take on the Caribbean side in three ODIs and five T20Is.

The tour of the West Indies will end on August 13 with the final T20I in Florida. The Indians will then take on Ireland in three T20Is in Dublin from August 18 to 23. According to a report in the Times of India, Suryakumar is set to lead the Men in Blue in the series against Ireland, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya likely to be rested.

While Suryakumar is yet to establish himself in the ODI team, he has been exceptional in the T20I format. In 48 matches, he has smashed 1675 runs at an average of 46.52 and a strike rate of 175.76, with three hundreds and 13 fifties.

In the wake of reports that he might captain India in the Ireland T20Is, we look at three reasons why it would be the right move.

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#1 India need to give ample rest to Hardik Pandya keeping ODI World Cup in mind

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya (Pic: Getty Images)

India’s T20I skipper Hardik Pandya will be one of the key members of the team in the ODI World Cup to be played at home in October-November this year. The selectors and team management will thus want him to be fully fit ahead of the ICC event.

Pandya will be leading the Indian team in the five-match T20I series in West Indies. As part of workload management, it would be a good move to rest him for the Ireland series.

Being a senior member of the team, there is not much that Pandya can achieve by playing against Ireland. Giving him a break will give one of the youngsters an opportunity to showcase his skills.

It is no secret that the all-rounder has a fragile body and is prone to injuries. While one can’t really predict when it comes to fitness issues as anything can happen anytime, what India can do is try and ensure they give Pandya the best chance to be 100 percent ready for the ODI World Cup in India.

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#2 A good test as an alternate T20I captain option

Suryakumar Yadav has been India’s standout performer in T20Is over the last couple of seasons. (Pic: Getty Images)

The focus of most teams this year will obviously be on the one-day World Cup to be held later in the year. However, looking at a slightly long-term vision, there is also the T20 World Cup coming up next year.

As of now, it seems like Pandya is set to lead the Indian team in the T20 format, although there has been no official word over the same.

At the same time, it won’t do any harm if India have an alternate captaincy option available for T20Is, keeping the worst-case scenario in mind. Thinking along those lines, the Ireland series can prove to be a small test for SKY with regard to being a second leadership option in the 20-over format.

Suryakumar was named T20I vice-captain for Sri Lanka’s tour of India late last year and has been retained as Pandya’s deputy for the T20I series in West Indies as well. The aggressive right-handed batter also led Mumbai Indians (MI) in the absence of Rohit Sharma during the home clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The selectors would do well to give him a chance to lead the Indian T20I squad during the three-match series in Ireland.

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#3 Being vice-captain, Suryakumar should be the automatic choice in Pandya’s absence

Suryakumar Yadav has a strike rate of 175.76 in T20Is. (Pic: Getty Images)

This might sound a bit bizarre, but India must respect hierarchy and give the captaincy post to Suryakumar in case Pandya is rested. And while might seem like stating the obvious, in the recent past there have been instances when that has not been the case.

Take the example of Ajinkya Rahane. Having been dropped from the Test team following a prolonged lean run, he was reinstated as vice-captain for the ongoing Test series in West Indies, even though there were many more deserving candidates in the squad.

India now find themselves in a quandary because Rahane has failed to come up with the goods following the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia at The Oval.

Rahane was dismissed for 3 in Dominica and 8 in the first innings of the Trinidad Test. The selectors must shun any Rahane-like experiment and pick Suryakumar as captain for Ireland for T20Is if they decide to give a break to Pandya.