Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has showered praise on Suryakumar Yadav and said the Indian captain’s leadership style is similar to former skipper Rohit Sharma. SKY played under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy for Mumbai Indians as well as India and has learned a lot from his Mumbai teammate.
India has a fantastic record under SKY’s captaincy as the team has suffered only four losses in T20Is since the start of 2025. The Men in Blue recently registered a 4-1 series win against New Zealand.
Meanwhile, SKY played a match-winning knock of 84 runs off just 49 balls in the opening clash of the World Cup against the USA on Saturday.
Speaking to Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif said, “His form with the bat is also praiseworthy. He has struck four fifties in his last five innings and was unbeaten in three of them. I feel his bat is firing at the right time. He captains well. Suryakumar Yadav reminds me of Rohit Sharma. He keeps smiling and looks relaxed. He keeps his arm around the bowler’s shoulder and gets the job done.”
“He is a proactive captain. He looks to me exactly like Rohit Sharma. There will be pressure when you are playing at home. There will be expectations as you are the defending champions. However, if you are calm and relaxed in that atmosphere and keep focus on your game plan, the job becomes easier,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara praised SKY’s leadership and said he takes everyone along with him.
“The biggest thing about his captaincy is that he takes everyone along. When you are the captain, your most important job is to take the team along. Your personal form definitely matters, your own confidence goes up, but the team is necessary,” he said.
“Keeping the team atmosphere good is necessary, and Suryakumar Yadav can do that very well. Also, his coordination with the head coach is excellent. That matters a lot as well. The team atmosphere depends a lot on that. So Surya, as a batter and as a captain, both things are happening very well,” Pujara observed.
India will next take on Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Thursday.
