Gautam Gambhir will start his coaching stint on the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. The Men in Blue will be playing 3 T20Is and as many ODIs against the Lions. Gambhir has succeeded Rahul Dravid as the coach of the Indian national team. The former World Cup winner will be looking to bring his strong mentality inside the cricketers and the team. All eyes will be on him of how he guides the team on his first tour.
The three senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have announced their T20I retirement. The new Indian squad will be prepared for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. Shubman Gill led a young side in Zimbabwe winning the series 4-1. But in the forthcoming tour, the side will be back with some senior players.
Reports have suggested that the T20 specialist batter, Suryakumar Yadav is being favoured as India’s long-term option as the T20I skipper. SKY has been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) family during Gambhir’s captaincy. He won the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2014 as well. The latter is known to be on good terms with the No.2 T20I batter. He was a very popular member of the dressing room, which strengthened his case.
Rift loading inside India’s dressing
Is the former friendship between the two edging out SKY over Hardik Pandya? Hardik was the vice-captain of the Indian side in the T20 World Cup 2024. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, he has led India in T20I games and was considered to be the successor of the veteran opener. However, the former KKR mentor may have simply overlooked Pandya.
What will SKY bring into the new Indian squad? Suryakumar Yadav’s consistency and leadership potential will be a huge boost for the side. The batter in the shortest format of the game has been amazing to watch. Gambhir believes Surya’s aggressive batting style and tactical acumen make him a better fit ahead of Pandya.
The 33-year-old batter also bats up the order and captaincy will give him more responsibility to bat as per the situation. Nevertheless, the Mumbai-born batter has led India in the South Africa T20I tour. He did not disappoint as he scored a century in the final T20 game against the Proteas. The Player of the Series was awarded to him.
