Team India has undergone a surprising shift in leadership, with Suryakumar Yadav's tenure at the helm of the T20I side coming to an end. A few months ago, the dynamic batter guided the Men in Blue to their third T20 World Cup title, becoming the first nation to lift the prestigious trophy three times. Now, the selectors have opted for a fresh start, removing Yadav from the captaincy and leaving him out of India's squads for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games campaign. Shreyas Iyer has been handed the responsibility of leading India's T20 side.
Over the past year or so, Yadav managed 702 runs in 35 T20Is. His struggles were on full display after taking over the captaincy in July 2024. Since then, he has averaged 25.88, registering six half-centuries but also suffering four dismissals without scoring. Yadav's IPL 2026 campaign was also not fruitful, managing 270 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54.
“With regards to Surya, obviously it's a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is,” BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar
said at the press conference.
"Partly his own form, but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward and like I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain," he said.
Agarkar also highlighted Shreyas Iyer's successful record as a franchise captain.
"With regards to Shreyas, obviously we've seen what he's done over the last few years, leading different franchises. He's won one and reached finals as well, and probably had a tougher season this year after a great start. So we've seen everything that a captain possibly can. His own performances have been really good. He was quite close to getting into that World Cup squad as well. Obviously, with Surya still there, there was no room for him," Agarkar said.