Suryakumar Yadav Admits Fear of Losing Captaincy to Shubman Gill Motivates Him. Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that the possibility of Shubman Gill, taking over his captaincy keeps him motivated to perform at his best. Suryakumar Yadav reacted to Gill being named India’s ODI captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma ahead of the 2025 tour of Australia, and admitted that while the thought of losing his leadership role is daunting, it also drives him to stay sharp.
Gill’s rise as a leader has been remarkable. In just a few months, he has cemented his place in India’s leadership group across all three formats. The young batter first assumed the Test captaincy following Rohit Sharma’s retirement, was then appointed vice-captain of the T20I side, and recently replaced Rohit as the ODI skipper.
Gill’s first challenge as ODI captain will be the upcoming series against Australia, where he will lead a team featuring stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Since taking over the Test captaincy in May, Gill has enjoyed significant success, guiding India to a 2-2 draw on the England tour and then orchestrating a 2-0 series sweep against the West Indies.
With Gill expected to eventually take the T20I captaincy as well, he will serve as Suryakumar Yadav deputy in the T20I series against Australia, which follows the three-match ODI series. As Yadav approaches 35, it appears increasingly likely that Gill—who also leads Gujarat Titans in the IPL—will soon become India’s all-format captain.
Suryakumar Yadav on Shubman Gill’s Captaincy: “I’m Very Happy for Him”
During a recent conversation with India Today, Suryakumar Yadav expressed his happiness for Shubman Gill, who has been appointed captain in two formats. He also revealed that the prospect of losing captaincy to Gill serves as a motivation for him to perform better.
“I am very happy for him that he has become captain in two formats. He has done really well. I won’t lie, everyone feels that fear. But it’s the kind of fear that keeps you motivated. The camaraderie between me and him—off the field and on it—is amazing. I know the kind of player and human he is, so it just motivates me to do well, but I am genuinely happy for him,” Suryakumar said.
He added, “If I were someone who got affected by things like this and overthought them, I wouldn’t have played my first international ball the way I did. I left that fear behind a long time ago. I believe that if I continue to work hard on myself, follow the right processes, stay honest to myself, everything else will take care of itself.”
Suryakumar, a late bloomer in Indian cricket, made his international debut in 2021 at the age of 30. Yet, his aggressive style of play in the shortest format quickly cemented his place in the T20I squad.
After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is following India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 victory, Suryakumar was handed the leadership of the T20I team. Under his captaincy, India remained unbeaten in all seven matches to clinch the Asia Cup 2025 title. He is set to lead the Men in Blue in the five-match T20I series against Australia from October 29 to November 8.
