Surya comes out of shadows

Bengaluru: A young and fearless Indian team checked most of the boxes in the 4-1 series triumph over Australia. Coming in the immediate aftermath of a heart-breaking defeat to the same opponents in the ICC ODI World Cup final a fortnight ago, one of the highlights of the series was the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav.

Unlike many of his illustrious ODI colleagues, who could take time out to mourn over a shattering — emotionally and physically — defeats in Indian cricket history, Suryakumar had to pack his bags and head to Visakhapatnam to lead a hungry young side in the five-match T20I series against an Australia who also had a handful of reinforcements. There simply was no time for rest nor recovery, just enough to wipe away the tears, chuck the tissues and carry on for probably his biggest assignment.

Although India have trialled plenty of captains in the recent years, especially in T20Is with Suryakumar being the seventh man for the job since Shikhar Dhawan was handed the reins in 2021, the privilege to call the toss still doesn’t come easy. One has to really earn his stripes. Suryakumar, a late bloomer who forced his way into the Indian team following some sensational exploits for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, knows it well. 

He’s also aware that once his MI team-mate Hardik Pandya returns from injury or Rohit Sharma opts to play the shortest format, leadership will be taken away from him as the two are the first choices. The series against Australia was a test of his leadership acumen and the early signs are promising. The 33-year-old Mumbaikar, known for his fearless stroke play no matter what the situation, opposition or conditions are, has let that same attitude percolate to his young batters.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh batted with all-out aggression, seldom worrying about their dismissals. Right from ball one, their intention was to find a boundary, none displaying the circumspection that some celebrated seniors are guilty of often in white-ball cricket. Yes, there were plenty high-risk shots which brought about their untimely dismissals at times but, given the licence to go for the kill, they batted only in top gear without worrying about the fear of failure.

Even the bowlers, who were largely under the pump on batting friendly wickets, held their nerve in crucial moments. Barring the third game in Guwahati where they were blown away by the brilliance of Glenn Maxwell and excess dew which literally turned the ball into a soap, they hit the necessary lengths and lines when in mattered. Spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel were exceptional in middle overs, picking up wickets and stifling the run flow, while pacer Mukesh Kumar was outstanding at the start and death. At tense moments, Suryakumar barely lost his cool and backed his boys to get the job done.  

Pacer Arshdeep Singh, who defended 10 runs in the final over of the last game here on Sunday, hailed Suryakumar’s captaincy. “Last time in a press conference, Ravi (Bishnoi) had said that Surya gives a freehand to all of us. I also wanted to say the same — he gives a lot of freedom for the bowlers. He allows the batters to express themselves. For us bowlers, even in the first four matches where we had to play on batting-friendly pitches, he just told us to make the most of the opportunities.

“He told us not to worry about the results but follow the right process. As I said he gave us a lot of freedom. He just didn’t allow us to come under the pressure of playing international cricket. He told us bowlers that whatever plan we have in our mind, he’ll back it.”

India’s next big assignment is the tour to South Africa where Suryakumar will be leading again in T20Is which start on December 10. Yet again, there’a very little turnaround time but Suryakumar knows with the T20 World Cup just six months away, it’s another fabulous opportunity to showcase his leadership skills, strengthen his bond with youngsters and make a case for himself.