Newly appointed India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday said he is excited to lead the team against Australia although it will take him some time to move on from the heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final.
The two powerhouses of international cricket meet again just 96 hours after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad due to the pre-planned schedule. However, there are changes in the squad at both ends.
"It is difficult it will take time, it can't be that you wake up next morning and you forget everything what happened. It was a long tournament. We would have loved to win it," Suryakumar Yadav was reported as saying by news agency PTI.
"But as you get up in the morning the sun rises again, there is light at the end of the tunnel. You have to move on. It is a fresh team (T20 squad), really looking forward to the challenge," the batter who was tasked to lead Team India in Hardik Pandya's absence reportedly said.
The big-hitting middle-order batter said support from the fans and families is helping him and the rest of the players to move on from the disappointment.
"Obviously, a little disappointing but when you look back at the journey it was a great campaign. All of India and our families were proud about the way everyone displayed their talent on the ground.
"We played a positive brand of cricket throughout the tournament. We can be very proud of that," said the aggressive batter.
Senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are not part of the Suryakumar-led team.
The T20 squad is full of IPL performers who are yet to prove themselves at the highest level. The likes of Rinku Singh, who made his debut in Ireland and was also part of the Asian Games, and Tilak Varma, will face their toughest test in international cricket against Australia.
"I met the squad in the afternoon today. I told them lets be selfless when you go on to the field. I am a guy who doesn't think about personal milestones. I have told them to keep the team first," Surya said.
"Keeping the (2024) T20 World Cup in mind, all the games we are going to play are very important. I want us to be fearless."
Who among Jitesh Sharma and Ishan Kishan will be the designated wicket-keeper batter in the team?
"Ishan has been doing well, we wanted to keep continuity. He has been doing really well for us, including the Asia Cup and World Cup, batting in different positions. Both of them are front runners. We will take a call tonight," Surya said with a laugh.
