“You can assume that Suryakumar Yadav won’t be seen there” – Aakash Chopra on SKY’s place in India’s squad for 2025 Champions Trophy

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons Suryakumar Yadav won’t be the part of India’s squad for 2025 Champions Trophy, which is set to be hosted by Pakistan. SKY has been named as India’s next T20I captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format.

But the Mumbai batter could not find a place in ODI squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. The 33-year-old doesn’t have a great ODI record as he has amassed 773 runs in 27 ODI matches at an average of 25.77.

With India having batters like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Sanju Samson in the mix, SKY’s place in the ODI team is under scrutiny.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “Suryakumar Yadav was a part of the team that reached the final of the last (2023 ODI) World Cup. He was part of this (2024 T20) World Cup as well, the (David Miller) catch he took but he is now not part of the ODI team.”

“A question was asked about that and he said that Suryakumar Yadav is a phenomenal and special player but he will be seen playing in T20Is only and is currently not being considered in ODIs. So if he is not being considered and the Champions Trophy is about to come, you can assume that Suryakumar Yadav won’t be seen there,” the former India opener added.

Chopra added that Gill will be certain in ODIs as he has made vice-captain in limited overs format. Gill also recently led India to a 4-1 series win against Zimbabwe.

“However, Shubman Gill will be seen there. He (Agarkar) said that he (Gill) is a three-format player and Gautam (Gambhir) believes it’s not a bad thing if he can get three-format players. They have also liked his captaincy in the IPL and against Zimbabwe, and that’s why he has been made the ODI vice-captain,” he observed.

With Hardik Pandya having fitness issues, chief selector Ajit Agakar clarified that they wanted someone who could be available for most times and that’s why they have backed SKY as the new T20I skipper.

“Hardik Pandya hasn’t been made the captain in T20Is because fitness is an important aspect. They want the captain to play all cricket and shouldn’t take too many breaks. So in such a scenario, Suryakumar Yadav jumped ahead of him in the race. However, Hardik Pandya is an important player, he has a huge stature in Indian cricket and there are expectations from him,” he said (4:00).

India will play the first T20I against Sri Lanka at Pallekele on July 27.