India’s Suryakumar Yadav said on Friday he would not repeat the mistakes of his national captaincy ahead of his first Test as Twenty20 captain against Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar, 33, this month took over from his much-loved predecessor Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the 20-overs format after India’s World Cup victory in June.
He overtook all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the rankings after concerns over the latter’s frequent injury absences.
But his previous captaincy of the Mumbai state team had raised concerns about his leadership style, after complaints from teammates led to his sacking in 2015.
“A lot of things have changed since then. I am a different person now,” the batsman told reporters in Kandy ahead of Saturday’s series opener.
“I got married and I learned a lot from other captains. I will lead the team forward in my own style,” he added.
“Our style of cricket remains the same. What the captaincy has done is give me a new responsibility and I am looking forward to the challenge.”
Star batsman Virat Kohli also retired after the T20 World Cup and India’s 15-man squad will give Suryakumar a chance to experiment with the top order, anchored by openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Sri Lanka also have a new short-form captain after a humiliating first-round exit from the World Cup led to Wanindu Hasaranga resigning just six months after his appointment.
His replacement Charith Asalanka captained the Jaffna Kings to a title-winning 20-over Lanka Premier League tournament on Sunday.
“It’s a big challenge for us to play against the world champions. We are ready for it because we prepared well for this series,” Asalanka said.
“I’m a little disappointed that we’re not at our best,” he added, saying injuries and illness had affected the team’s rhythm.
Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara has been ruled out of the series with a fractured thumb, while Dushmantha Chameera is unwell.
Sri Lanka have brought in right-hander Asitha Fernando and left-handed quick Dilshan Madushanka as replacements.
The three-match series concludes on Tuesday in Kandy before a three-match ODI series begins in Colombo on Friday.
Squadrons
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammad Siraj.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka (captain), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana , Binura Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
