Gautam Gambhir may have given the final push, but the idea of elevating Suryakumar Yadav into the leadership role first germinated during Rahul Dravid's tenure. One of the main reasons Surya leapt ahead of Hardik Pandya in the T20I captaincy race was that the Indian team management felt the need to appoint a skipper who is more likely to stay injury-free for a longer period and be available for all the matches . Considering Hardik's history of long injuries, that seemed unlikely.
The seeds of easing Surya into the captaincy were first sown after the ODI World Cup in 2023. With the coaches and selectors unsure about Hardik Pandya 's return from the ankle injury he suffered during the early stages of the World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav was given the mantle of the T20I side for the home series against Australia. With Hardik injured and the seniors rested to recover from the heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the final, Surya did a fine job, leading India to a 4-1 series win.
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey told Hindustan Times the thought process behind head coach Dravid, the team management and the selectors of putting Surya in the hot seat. "First and foremost, when you pick a captain, you expect the captain to play all the games in that format. We, the coaches and selectors, have always felt that here's a guy who's gonna have a long future in the T20 format.
He has mastered that skill. One of the best in this format. He and Klaasen are maybe one or two in T20Is now ba.