India‘s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, stepped into the role of a chef to introduce three new players ahead of the first match of the four-game series against South Africa in Durban on Friday, November 8.
Suryakumar highlighted the strengths of pacers Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak, while also offering special praise for batter Ramandeep Singh. The BCCI shared the update on X:
“Captain and Chef, SKY introduces two, new faces dishes to the team menu.”
Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav was heard saying:
“Aur ant mein swaad anusaar chalaki (and cleverless as per taste in the end).”
You can watch the video here:
Captain & Chef 🧑🍳 SKY introduces two ✌️ new f̶a̶c̶e̶s̶ dishes to the t̶e̶a̶m̶ menu 📜
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙏𝙤 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 – SKY like never seen before #TeamIndia | #SAvIND | @surya_14kumar | @Raman___19 pic.twitter.com/brbznUtiZ6
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 8, 2024
Dayal and Vyshak have been selected for the team following their impressive bowling performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the previous IPL season.
Dayal took 15 wickets in 14 matches, while Vyshak claimed 13 wickets in 11 games across the last two IPL seasons. Notably, Dayal has taken 12 wickets in his last four first-class matches, and Vyshak has captured 17 wickets in six first-class games.
On the other hand, Ramandeep Singh scored 125 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 201.61 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the most recent IPL season. Overall, he has accumulated 544 runs in 57 matches at a strike rate of 170, which includes two half-centuries.
“Freedom and clarity are key” – Suryakumar Yadav on his approach to captaincy
Suryakumar Yadav recently revealed that his approach to captaincy contrasts with his aggressive batting style. He stated (via ESPNcricinfo):
“See this format is such that if you keep playing, you keep learning and it’s so fast on the field. By the time you blink your eye, the game is over. So that freedom and clarity are very important when you play this format on the field.”
“You have to understand what’s happening around, what’s going on in their minds and it is very important to give them that comfort. Whatever is running in their mind, I listen to them carefully,” Suryakumar added.
“Off the field, I try and spend a lot of time with them to understand their strengths, who can deliver for me in a pressure and current situation, and that’s how I am on the field,” he concluded.
Suryakumar Yadav comes in on the heels of back-to-back 3-0 clean sweeps over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, following his replacement of Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.