Ind vs Eng: Suryakumar Yadav says no problem working with ‘good friend’ Hardik Pandya


Axar Patel has been promoted to vice-captain of India and Hardik Pandya is no longer the backup of this team. Could that affect T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav’s dynamic with Hardik, who, come the IPL, will be Suryakumar’s captain? Not at all, Suryakumar said on the eve of the first T20I in Kolkata. He may not have the title of vice-captain, but his “good friend” Hardik remains a key member of India’s T20I leadership group, Suryakumar said.

“The relationship with him has been really great. We’ve been playing [together] for a long time. I still remember that from 2018, when I came back to Mumbai Indians. [we first played together] and [it’s the same] until today,” Suryakumar told media in Calcutta. “It’s just that the extra responsibility I have [here]. When we get back to franchise cricket, I can sit back and relax for a while.

“But we have been good friends on the field and we know what we want in the future with the Indian team. Axar has been given that extra responsibility. We saw what he did in the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has been with the team during At the same time, Hardik is also part of the leadership group. When we sit down, we decide what we want to do with the team and even on the field, he is always there as captains on the ground.”

Suryakumar, who also took his first steps towards becoming one of the great T20I batsmen of his generation under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders, feels that the working relationship he has with Gambhir is rock solid. Since Gambhir took over as coach in mid-2024, India have won the T20I series in Sri Lanka, at home against Bangladesh and in South Africa, losing just one game in those three series. While their Test form could come under scrutiny, in the T20Is, Suryakumar believes they are moving in the “right direction” with Gambhir.

“I have played with Gambhir for four years, so I know how he works,” Suryakumar said. “Even without talking to him, we know what we have to do. He wasn’t present on the South Africa tour because he was preparing with the Test team, but we are moving in the right direction with him. He gives freedom, “He allows the players they express themselves. He keeps things simple, he knows what’s going on in a player’s head. “It keeps things light and maintains a good atmosphere.”

India’s T20 team is preparing for a home World Cup (hosting rights for the tournament in February-March 2026 are split with Sri Lanka), where they will be the defending champions. But Suryakumar doesn’t want to think that far ahead for now and instead “enjoy the journey.”

“For me it is important that the T20 World Cup is a year away, but I don’t want to think about that,” he said. “Instead, we want to enjoy the journey to that event. We want to build a team, understand which hitters perform well in which position, which players can win games on their own.

“It is important for a group to play many games beforehand. That is what Gauti bhai and I will think about it. “We want to play with this group until the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.”

No pants in India’s T20I plans?/h2>

Neither Rishabh Pant nor KL Rahul are part of this T20I team, with Sanju Samson, who scored three T20I centuries and maintained a strike rate of 180.16 in 2024, the starting gloveman and Dhruv Jurel his backup. Suryakumar said that is a sealed position for now.

“Currently, there are no doubts about the goalkeepers,” he said. “Sanju has done very well in the last 7-10 games and has shown what he is capable of. It is what we want from all our players, not just the goalkeepers but from everyone: keep the team first. He has that opportunity, it’s I made the most of it and I’m happy for him.

“In general, the atmosphere is great. Yesterday we had a team dinner. This group has already been together for 2 or 3 series. The boys know what their teammates like and what they don’t like. This camaraderie will be reflected on the field “Well.”



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