I closed my eyes and asked myself, ‘Is this a dream?': Suryakumar Yadav on being named India's vice-captain

Suryakumar Yadav has been in excellent form of late, blitzing his way past a maze of juggernauts in the shorter format of the game. As 2022 hurtles towards its end, Suryakumar Yadav was in for a grand news to finish the year on a high. The news of being handed over the vice-captaincy of India for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka was given to SKY by his father. 

Suryakumar Yadav was the highest run-scorer for India in 2022 in the shortest format of the game with 1164 runs scored at an average of 46.56. He is also the only Indian player to cross 1000 runs in the shortest format of the game in 2022. 

The right-handed batter is currently a part of the Mumbai team in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. It was his father who took the opportunity of breaking the grand news to the Indian star. 

In an interaction with the Times of India, Surya talked about his expectations after a sublime year of T20I cricket, saying, “It (vice-captaincy) wasn’t expected, but the way the past year has been for me, I can say that it’s like a reward for me. I’m feeling very good about it, and I’m really looking forward to it. I closed my eyes and asked myself: ‘Is this a dream?" 

He further added, "My father forwarded the (team) to me, because he’s always on social media. Then, we spoke to each other. He also sent me a small message: 'Not to take any pressure and enjoy your batting." 

Surya shares a very special bond with Hardik Pandya ever since their Mumbai Indians days. He spoke passionately about the bond between the two, stating, "Absolutely. Our bond has always been very good. We’ve played a lot together for India and MI. Our batting numbers are also one after the other. We’ve batted a lot together. We complement each other. He’s been a fantastic leader, as you’ve seen in the IPL, and recently, while leading India. So, I really enjoy playing under his captaincy." 

Both Surya and Hardik will be the part of the opening T20I to unfurl between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium starting on the 3rd of January. This will be followed by three ODIs, a series that will be another preparatory chapter for the Men in Blue for the upcoming 2023 World Cup.