Pallekele (Sri Lanka), July 27: Prior to their first match against hosts Sri Lanka, here on Saturday, Team India's new T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has made an interesting remark on his team.
Suryakumar stated, "The same train will continue. Only the engine has changed. The bogies (carriages) are the same."
That remark from the new captain implies India will continue to approach with the same aggression, attitude and intensity during the Lanka tour.
The reigning T20I world champions being the No1 team in the format, are expected to dominate the No 8 team Lanka even at their backyards in the three-match T20I series.
Sri Lanka too have a new T20I captain in Charith Asalanka and former captain turned sports administrator Sanath Jayasuriya has been roped in as the Interim Coach for the India series.
India are though with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the two veteran war horses, but appear to be bit more balanced in team composition.
India will also be without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the T20Is, as after lifting the T20 World Cup on June 29, 2024, the three have quit the shortest format.
India will also miss their former Head Coach Rahul Dravid. But they will still have the luxury of IPL title winning mentor Gautam Gambhir guiding them as the new Head Coach.
Suryakumar also stated that his batting will not be affected by the captaincy responsibility. He admitted that there will be pressure. But also clarified that there is no fun in playing if there is no pressure.
Suryakumar further stated India will continue to play with the same approach and expect to put pressure on the opposition.
