Suryakumar Yadav holds on to bullish attitude in the face of Shubman Gill's threat to captaincy: ‘I left fear long back’
Suryakumar Yadav remains keenly aware of the threat of Shubman Gill to his T20 captaincy, but maintains his focus on doing his part for the T20I team.
Shubman Gill has been asked to shoulder plenty of fresh responsibility in 2025, a year which has seen him take over captaincy from Rohit Sharma in both the 50-over and Test match formats. Gill was already a significant member of the Indian team in the two longer formats of the sport, and was the instinctive choice as a long-term captain.
However, the real surprise for Gill stemmed from his inclusion in the T20I team, as he was drafted in for the triumphant Asia Cup campaign. Gill is no doubt a top-class T20 batter, as the weight of his IPL runs show, but there were some raised eyebrows given the calibre of openers who were arguably better suited to the format.
It became clear to many that Gill’s inclusion stemmed from him being seen as a potential all-format captain, with the BCCI always preferring to keep leadership consistent across formats. Suryakumar Yadav at 35 years old is on the older side of the spectrum, and India might be looking to move on past him following next year’s T20 World Cup.
With Gill in the team and clearly marked for leadership, one couldn’t blame Yadav for feeling threatened and slightly wary of losing his role as Indian skipper. However, this is an element that the always easy-going Mumbaikar is at peace with, but one that nonetheless pushes him to do better in his current position.
‘Helps me to do well myself…’
Speaking to Indian Express at a recent event, Yadav was asked about the threat of Gill in his rearview mirror.
“It motivates you to do better,” admitted Yadav, before pivoting and explaining that the positive relationship between the pair meant there would be no bad blood between them.
“The camaraderie between the two of us is amazing off the field and on the field. I know the kind of player he is, the kind of human being he is. It helps me to do well myself,” explained Yadav.
“I left fear long back. I believe if I am following everything that has to be followed, working really hard, everything will be taken care of,” concluded Yadav.
For the time being, Yadav has enjoyed a strong success rate as Indian captain, and ensures that his talented team will go into the home World Cup as the favourites to defend their championship. Nevertheless, he will be keenly aware that if he wishes to leave a legacy as an Indian captain, he won’t get too many chances further down the line – some more added motivation to lead the team to silverware.
