New Indian captain Yadav says he is ready to lead against SL

KANDY: India’s Suryakumar Yadav on Friday said he will not repeat the mistakes of his national captaincy ahead of his first Test as Twenty20 captain against Sri Lanka.

The 33-year-old Suryakumar took over this month from his much-loved predecessor Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the 20-over format after India’s World Cup victory in June.

He beat all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the post after concerns over his frequent injuries. But his previous captaincy of state team Mumbai had raised concerns over his leadership style after complaints from teammates led to him being sacked in 2015.

“A lot has changed since then. I am a different person now,” the batsman told reporters in Kandy ahead of Saturday’s series opener. “I got married and learned a lot from other captains. I will take the team forward in my own way,” he added.

“Our brand of cricket remains the same. What captaincy has done is it has given me a new responsibility and I am looking forward to the challenge.” Star batsman Virat Kohli also retired after the T20 World Cup and India’s 15-man squad will give Suryakumar a chance to experiment with the top order, anchored by openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Sri Lanka also have a new short-format captain after a humiliating first-round World Cup knockout led to the resignation of Wanindu Hasaranga just six months into the job. His replacement Charith Asalanka captained Jaffna Kings on Sunday as they lifted the island nation’s 20-over Lanka Premier League title.

“It’s a huge challenge for us to play against the world champions. We are ready for the challenge because we have prepared well for this series,” Asalanka said. “A little bit disappointed that we are not at full strength,” he added, saying injuries and illness had affected the team’s speed.