On Tuesday, the BCCI announced the Indian squad for the first home series of 2023 against Sri Lanka, and swashbuckling middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav was named India’s vice-captain for the series. He will be assisting Hardik Pandya, who will be leading the Indian cricket team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul is also a big miss in the T20 squad.
Suryakumar had a terrific year in 2022 and this announcement by the BCCI came in as the cherry on top for the talented cricketer. While the promotion was long due, SKY says he wasn’t expecting to be made India’s vice-captain but believes it was a reward for his hard work in the past.
Speaking about the same from the sidelines of Mumbai’s Ranji game against Saurashtra, SKY said: “I wasn’t expecting but the way last year had gone, I can only say that it’s like a reward to me. It feels great and I am really looking forward to it,”
He added: “My father forwarded me the team, he is always on social media and keeps forwarding me things. I spoke to him once I saw the message. In that text, he had a small message for me: not to take the pressure and enjoy batting.”
SKY Revealed His First Reaction To The Big Announcement
He revealed that his first reaction was to wonder if it was all a dream. He revealed:
“I closed my eyes and thought,” Is this a dream?” but it felt really nice. It still feels like a dream but it’s the hard work of the past so many years. It was like a seed planted years ago and now the tree has grown up. Now I’m eating the fruits of it. I will try to stretch it as long as I can,”
Further, SKY talked about his bond with his Mumbai Indians and team India teammate Hardik Pandya, who will be the captain of the Indian side in the upcoming series. He said:
“The bond with him (Hardik) has always been good. Be it for Mumbai Indians or India. We bat in the same order, we compliment each other. He has been a fantastic leader and everyone has seen it in IPL and India and I really enjoy playing under his captaincy.”
#RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter
(Credits @pdevendra) pic.twitter.com/S6ervcqnzg— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) December 28, 2022
India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is:
Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.
India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
