Recently, India’s dynamic T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, steered his team to glory, clinching the Asia Cup 2025 title with a thrilling victory over Pakistan in Dubai. Having already tasted success as a player in the T20 World Cup 2024, Yadav now reveals a lingering aspiration: the One Day International (ODI) captaincy. He feels that with a more extended run in the 50-over format, the opportunity might have already come his way.
With Rohit Sharma stepping down from Test cricket, Shubman Gill has taken the reins as Test captain and is now also set to lead India in ODIs. Gill’s inaugural challenge as ODI captain will be the eagerly anticipated series against Australia, commencing October 19th.
In a candid podcast interview, Surya confessed his thoughts on leading the ODI side. “Now I often think that if I had performed better in the ODI format, just like my T20I captaincy is progressing, I might have even received the ODI captaincy,” he revealed. “I’m thinking about it now, though I didn’t earlier. The format is longer than 30 overs, but the ball color and jerseys are almost the same. I will still give my 100 percent; it’s always been a dream.”
He further added, “When we are at home, my wife and I frequently discuss this. I tell her that if my ODI cricket had been better, you never know what could have happened. When Rohit bhai eventually retires from ODI captaincy, who will step up to lead? If you’re performing well, you become a strong contender. The opportunity for ODI captaincy hasn’t vanished just yet.”
Although not included in the forthcoming ODI series, Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in a five-match T20I series against Australia, running from October 29th to November 8th.