Suryakumar Yadav to captain India in T20Is against ODI World Cup champions Australia

Following their disappointing loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 final, India will host Australia in a five-match T20I series starting November 23. The Aussies arrived in the country much before than other participating nations of the World Cup as they were involved in an ODI series against India before the marquee tournament.

3 things you need to know

• Australia lifted the World Cup for a record 6th time
• They will now take on India in a five-match T20I series
• Selectors are yet to announce the Indian squad for the series

Also Read: 'Giants of modern day cricket': R Ashwin applauds Australia for clinching sixth World Cup title

Suryakumar Yadav is all set to captain India in the T20I series against Australia

The squad for the T20I series is yet to be announced but as reported by Cricbuzz, Suryakumar Yadav is set to be handed the captaincy reign in this series. Suryakumar Yadav was a part of India's ODI World Cup campaign but is also the deputy of Hardik Pandya in the shortest format. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not expected to be called as both players were a part of the grueling World Cup schedule and will likely take a few days off.

Hardik Pandya would have been the automatic choice had he been fit but the Indian all-rounder has been advised to take rest after an ankle injury in an ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Also Read: Australia captain Pat Cummins poses with ODI World Cup trophy at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad

Prasidh Krishna, who replaced Hardik in the ODI World Cup squad has also reportedly made the cut for the T20I series. Reports suggest that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer also emerged as one of the candidates but the selectors decided not to burden him with more workload.

VVS Laxman could replace Rahul Dravid as Indian coach

VVS Laxman could step in the absence of Rahul Dravid whose contract has expired following the completion of the ODI World Cup. The former Indian batter explained after the match that he hasn't had a thought on his coaching role yet. 

“I haven't thought about it (about continuation). I've just come off a game. I have no time to think about this and no time to reflect on this. Yeah, I will when I get the time to do that. But at this point of time, I was completely focused on this campaign. It was focused on this World Cup, and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven't given any other thought to what happens in the future.”