India captain Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on his bond with new coach Gautam Gambhir, with the two set to join forces for the first time in Indian colors during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. India will face Sri Lanka in the series opener on Saturday. Suryakumar has been named captain of the T20I rubber, which will be the first series of Gambhir’s much-awaited tenure as coach of the Indian team. Suryakumar, who once led India, admitted that he likes to be a leader even when he is not the captain of the team.
“I always liked being a leader on the field even though I wasn’t the captain. I always learned a lot of things from different captains. It’s a good feeling and a big responsibility,” Suryakumar told BCCI.TV ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka Pallekele on Saturday .
Talking about his relationship with Gambhir, Suryakumar recalled his early days in the IPL when he played for KKR under the leadership of the current India coach.
“This relationship is special because in 2014 I played with him for KKR. It was special because only from then on did I have opportunities. sessions. I also know how he tries to work as a coach. It’s all about the lovely relationship we have and I’m really excited to see how that plays out,” he added.
Talking about a great lesson this sport gave him, Suryakumar Yadav said it taught him to be humble and add a sense of balance to his life.
“I think the most important thing I’ve learned in this sport is how humble you are after achieving something or even after not doing well. That’s one thing I’ve learned. When you do something on the ground, you have to leave it on the ground and when you leave the field that’s it. That’s not your life, it’s just part of your life. So you can’t be… When you’re doing well, you’re on top and when you’re not doing well, you’re on top. in hiding. That’s something I don’t think you should do as a sportsman,” he added.
Suryakumar led India in seven T20Is last year during the home T20I series against Australia and an away series against South Africa, winning five matches and losing two.
India’s tour to Sri Lanka will begin with a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series. Pallekele International Stadium will host the T20I leg of the series while R Premadasa will host the 50-over matches.
The three ODIs will be held on August 2, 4 and 7.
Both teams will take the field with new coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed interim coach of the Lankan Lions, this will also be former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as head coach, succeeding T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.
India’s last trip to Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series took place in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led team. India won the ODI series 2-1 while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.
T20I squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
(With ANI inputs)
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