India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav shared significant thoughts on team dynamics and on preparation for the upcoming T20I World Cup ahead of the five-match series against South Africa, addressing the talking point around Rinku Singh's exclusion and highlighting the versatility Shivam Dube brings to the squad.
Rinku, despite impressive performances in his limited international outings, has been sidelined for the series.
Suryakumar, however, emphasised the importance of adaptability in the middle order while speaking about Dube's role.
"Dube is an all-rounder. All the batters from 3 to 7 are capable of batting at any position. For example, you might see Tilak Verma batting at 6. As you saw in Australia, Dube went in to bat at number 3. It depends on the entry point of the batter. We have to be really flexible during that. More likely, this is what the team and the squad look like. It looks good. It looks strong. So, I am very happy with it," the skipper said.
Rinku has played 35 T20Is so far, scoring 550 runs at an average of 42.30 and an impressive strike rate of 161.76, along with three half-centuries.
While Dube has played 46 T20Is, scoring 607 runs and taking 21 wickets.
Suryakumar also touched upon India's roadmap towards the next T20 World Cup, making it clear that preparations have been ongoing for months.
"Preparation for the T20 World Cup had already begun after the 2024 T20 World Cup ended. You can't just start preparing for a big tournament a month or two before it starts. It started a long way back. Since then, we have been trying new things, which have been working in our favour till now," he said.
India will open their title defence at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 with a night fixture against the United States at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium on February 7, setting the tone for what promises to be a spectacular opening day of cricket across the subcontinent.
Speaking about the immediate focus on the South Africa T20I series, he added that the team has no plans to alter a successful formula.
"Just like we are playing in the T20 series. We don't want to change anything. If we are doing something right, why should we change it? We enjoy on the ground. We play good cricket with each other. That's it," he noted.
The five-match T20I series begins in Cuttack on Tuesday. The teams then move to New Chandigarh for the second match on December 11, followed by Dharamsala on December 14. Lucknow will host the fourth T20I on December 17, while the series concludes in Ahmedabad on December 19.