"Yet to discover the kind of leader Surya will be": Robin Uthappa ahead of Sri Lanka T20I series

By Vipul Kashyap
New Delhi [India], July 24 : Ahead of the T20I series against Sri Lanka, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has lauded performance of Suryakumar Yadav as a batter and said it is yet to be discovered what kind of leader he will be.
Suryakumar Yadav has been announced as the captain of the T20Is. The 33-year-old's first assignment as the leader of the team will be Sri Lanka series. The three T20Is will be held on July 27, July 28 and July 30
The World Cup-winning player spoke about the new era of Indian cricket. Along with Suryakumar, it would be the first series for Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of Men in Blue.
"I think it's a start. Something new post the World Cup. I think it's an important start for India. They played in Zimbabwe, but I think traveling with the team and being the first tour of any coach or any leadership group...will take time to settle down. I think as fans, supporters and lovers of Indian cricket, we need to give them that time to kind of settle down and fall into a rhythm. I think this one's going to be an exciting tour to just see how the team kind of functions individually in this new infrastructure," Uthappa told ANI during an interaction organised by Sony Sports.
The former opener further heaped praise on Suryakumar saying that he is an incredible batter and an important part of the Indian team
"I don't think we should be comparing it. We are yet to discover the kind of leader Surya will be. Suryakumar Yadav has been an incredible batter and someone who's been such an important cog in this Indian cricket team, especially in T20 cricket, one of the best T20 batters in the world, arguably ever," the 38-year-old added.
Former wicketkeeper-batter concluded by sharing his thoughts on Sanju Samson saying that the biggest challenge for him is to find his spot in the team as there are lot of options available for selectors.
"Samson been a part of the World Cup winning side. He didn't get to play a game in that, but he was there. The biggest challenge for someone like him is the fact that he can't find a spot for himself where he can consistently play at a batting position. Samson bats best at number three, with a maximum number four. That's been a hard one to find for him within this Indian team. Samson is not the first one to experience in Indian cricket and won't be the last one to experience in Indian cricket. We've all been through it. Sanju's done fairly well at the opportunities that've come his way," Uthappa concluded.
The Indian Cricket Team left for Sri Lanka on Monday where they will play a three-match T20I followed by a three-match ODI series. After the completion of the T20I series, Men in Blue will play a three-match ODI series that will start from August 1.
The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series, while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches.
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), 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, and Mohd. Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Suhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.