“We will do better than last time.”

Team India star and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav made a huge statement ahead of the series against Australia. The Men in Blue will play the five-match T20I series Down Under, starting on Wednesday, October 29.

The last time they played the format in Australia was during the 2022 T20 World Cup. They reached the semi-finals but suffered a ten-wicket defeat by England. Suryakumar Yadav believes the team will perform better during the bilateral series this time.

“I feel we will do better than last time. Teams have gone there in different formats but I think we have not gone to the T20 series after 2022. We are playing on almost similar type of stadiums in India as well. There are many more stadiums and we continue to play regularly. There are no different preparations as such,” he said in an exclusive chat with journalist Vimal Kumar.

The right-hander reflects that this will be a different challenge and an opportunity to play for Australia as captain. While he said that his mentality as a player was to perform well and win matches for the country, there will be more responsibility as a captain this time.

“I never thought I would go to any country as captain. I thought I wanted to play for India, do well, win tournaments, that was my goal. But now this is a new opportunity, another responsibility to do well. Australia is always a different challenge. We have gone and played once in 2022. I think it will be a good challenge and good fun,” he added.

India lost the three-match ODI series 1-2. The Men in Blue are aiming to bounce back in the upcoming T20I series.

The India T20I captain reflects on his knock against South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup

When India played against South Africa during the T20 World Cup 2022 in Perth, Suryakumar Yadav played a brilliant knock despite the team’s defeat. The Men in Blue were reduced to 49/5 and reached 133/9 thanks to his half-century.

He scored 68 runs off 40 balls, including six boundaries and three sixes, at a strike rate of 170. Reflecting on that knock, he said:

“It was a big challenge. We were 35 or 40 for five. That season, my batting was at a different level. My confidence was at a different level, and it is now too, but this was something different. I’ve scored runs before too. I like the bouncy pitches a lot and you can hit your shots there. I was excited and we prepared as well.”

They will be hoping their captain bats similarly this time around and leads from the front throughout the series.