India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav broke his silence on BCCI choosing him as the captain over Hardik Pandya. Surya said nothing will change between him and the all-rounder.

Hardik was the first choice to replace Rohit Sharma after the latter retired following Team India’s success in T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. Hardik was India’s vice-captain in the United States of America and the West Indies and before that, he had led the Men in Blue when Rohit was dropped from the team.

But new coach Gautam Gambhir and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar voted in Surya’s as they felt the latter is not impacted by injuries and can play all the matches. Surya hopes Hardik would perform well in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

“Hardik’s role is clear. He is a key player for the team. The way he performed in the T20 World Cup, I hope he will continue to deliver same kind of performances,” Surya told reporters on Friday.

When asked about replacing Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav said nothing will change in the Indian team.“We will play with the same attacking approach. Almost all the players are same and only the engine has changed. I have an added responsibility and it is good,” he added.

Suryakumar is expecting to see Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh among the list of contributors against Sri Lanka.“I have a lot of faith in them and I am sure that they will do well.”