Archive · 30 Aug 2026
Suryakumar Yadav Details Shock After India T20I Captaincy Removal
Suryakumar Yadav was the captain of India’s T20 cricket team.
He helped India win many matches and retain the T20 World Cup.
Later, he lost the captaincy and was left out of the team for a tour of the United Kingdom.
He said this made him feel shocked and disappointed.
He spent about one-and-a-half to two months thinking about what had happened.
His wife reminded him that he began playing cricket because he loved the game.
Suryakumar said he respects Shreyas Iyer, who became the new captain.
He also said India had been very successful before the change.
His recent batting numbers were lower than he wanted, including during the World Cup and Indian Premier League.
Suryakumar Yadav said he was shocked and disappointed after losing India’s T20I captaincy despite World Cup success.
He led India to 42 wins in 50 completed T20 internationals and helped retain the men’s T20 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer replaced him as captain, while Suryakumar was left out of the United Kingdom tour squad.
Suryakumar said India’s two-year unbeaten series run, Asia Cup victory and World Cup triumph made the change difficult to understand.
His post-World Cup form included 932 runs in 42 innings, while he scored 242 World Cup runs and 270 IPL runs.
- Who
- Suryakumar Yadav, former India T20I captain; Shreyas Iyer replaced him as captain.
- What
- Suryakumar discussed his shock and disappointment after losing the captaincy and being omitted from India’s T20I squad.
- When
- He said he spent roughly 40-50 days, or one-and-a-half to two months, processing the decision; his last India T20 appearance was in March.
- Where
- He made the comments on former India cricketer Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel.
- Why
- He found the change difficult to understand because India had won 42 of 50 completed T20 internationals under his captaincy, had not lost a series for two years, and had won the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar’s Perspective
Selection Perspective
Changing the captain
Suryakumar’s Perspective
Suryakumar felt disappointed because India had not lost a series for two years and had won the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, so he expected the successful setup to continue.
Selection Perspective
Suryakumar acknowledged that decision-makers may have believed changing the leadership was better going forward, and he said he did not react angrily or resent the decision.
Iyer’s appointment
Suryakumar’s Perspective
Suryakumar said he had expected to lead India into its next phase, including future Olympic and T20 World Cup challenges.
Selection Perspective
He supported Shreyas Iyer, describing him as a good player, person and captain, and said he did not question why Iyer was chosen.
Recent performance
Suryakumar’s Perspective
Suryakumar emphasized India’s results under his leadership as a reason to keep the same captaincy arrangement.
Selection Perspective
His recent individual figures were less strong, including 242 World Cup runs in nine matches, 270 Indian Premier League runs for Mumbai Indians and a post-World Cup average of 25.88.
- Captaincy record
- 42 wins in 50 completed T20 internationals
- World Cup achievement
- India became the first team to retain the men’s T20 World Cup
- Replacement captain
- Shreyas Iyer
- Career T20I record
- 3,272 runs in 113 matches, with four centuries and 25 fifties
- Post-World Cup record
- 932 runs in 42 innings at an average of 25.88, including six half-centuries
- World Cup batting
- 242 runs in nine matches at an average of 30.25
- Upcoming fixtures
- India are due to play three one-day internationals and five T20 matches against West Indies from September 27; the squad had not been announced
