Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead India in the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia starting Thursday (November 23) in Vishakhapatnam and has big boots to fill in the absence of Hardik Pandya who has been leading the Men in Blue predominantly since their humiliating loss at the hands of England in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Notably, Surya is on the verge of becoming the ninth player to lead India in the T20I format since the turn of 2021. He has no leadership experience at the international level and hence will be motivated enough to lead the hosts to a series win and regain the winning momentum after a shocking World Cup final loss at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Here's the list of players who have led India in the shortest format of the sport since January 2021:
| Captain | Years | Match | Wins | Losses | Tied matches | No Result |
| Virat Kohli | 2021 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2021 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2021-22 | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Rishabh Pant | 2022 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2022-23 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 2023 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 2023 | - | - | - | - | - |
Suryakumar, 33, is the No. 1 T20I batter in the ICC rankings with a total of 863 rating points. In addition to that, he has been India's most productive batter in the format recently. Surya, as he is fondly called by his teammates is India's leading run-getter in the format in the ongoing calendar year.
The flamboyant batter has aggregated 433 runs in 11 matches at an astounding average of 54.12. His runs have come at an impressive strike rate of 150.34 and the right-hander has already scored one century and three fifties in 2023. The series against Australia is not only an opportunity for him to improve his record in the format but will also allow him to impress the selectors in the leadership role.
