Suryakumar Yadav set to lead Team India in T20I series against Australia after ODI World Cup setback

Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead India in the upcoming T20I series against Australia as the Men in Blue look to put behind the disappointment of losing the ODI World Cup final on Sunday (Nov 19). India who are expected to be without top stars for the series will have to deal with the injury of Hardik Pandya, who was the designated captain of the side. However, his unavailability will now see his former Mumbai Indian teammate Suryakumar wear the captain’s armband against the Aussies in the T20I series.

Suryakumar Yadav to lead

According to the reliable cricketing site Cricbuzz, Suryakumar Yadav was the obvious choice as India won’t field any top-ranked senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or Jasprit Bumrah in the series. Both Virat and Rohit have not played in the T20I format since India lost to England in the T20 World Cup semifinal last November. Bumrah who has led India in Tests and T20Is in the past was also amongst the ranks to take the role, but it is understood he will also be rested for the T20I series.

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The five-match T20I series will start on Thursday (Nov 23) with the hosts taking on Australia in Visakhapatnam before staying in South India for the second T20I. The teams will also travel to Guwahati, Nagpur, and Hyderabad for the rest of the series with the final set to take place on Sunday (Dec 3). It is expected that India will field a young side consisting of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan. Prasidh Krishna, unused during the World Cup is also expected to be in the side.

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India had earlier beaten Australia 2-1 in the three-match ODI series before the World Cup and will now look to exact revenge on the opposition. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh are also expected to make the cut for the T20I series while Rituraj Gaikwad and Shardul Thakur will also don the Indian colours. Tilak Varma will be another player who look to get on the team bus having impressed in the build-up to the World Cup, but was unfortunate to not make the cut.