India’s newly appointed T20I skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, has earned praise from all-rounder Axar Patel for his leadership style. Patel described Yadav as a “bowlers’ captain” who empowers his bowlers to execute their plans with confidence.
In the recently concluded first T20I against Sri Lanka, Patel witnessed firsthand Yadav’s approach. “He gives you free hand (in a way) that you decide first,” Patel said. “Whenever you get hit, he comes and says that it was a good ball. He keeps giving you inputs.”
Patel emphasized the importance of this support for bowlers, as it instills confidence and allows them to take risks. “As a bowler, you get confidence from that if the captain is backing you and telling you that you can do this,” he said.
Patel also highlighted the team’s focus on maximizing its batting combinations. In the first T20I, India experimented with a batting order that featured a balanced mix of left-handed and right-handed batters. This strategy aims to keep the opposition bowlers guessing and maintain a consistent scoring rate.
“Our team has four lefties and four righties,” Patel explained. “If there is a left-right combination (in the middle), it becomes very hard for the bowlers to maintain the line and lengths consistently.”
Patel also touched upon the team’s new coaching staff, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir. While acknowledging that there will be some changes in approach, Patel emphasized that the team’s core values will remain intact.
“When we were talking in the team meeting, they also said the same thing that the coach and captain keep changing but the team remains the same and the 11 or 15 players who stay, they have to do it,” Patel said. “They have told us that we will play the way we have been playing.”
