Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up on Being Axed as India's T20I Captain
Suryakumar Yadav has opened up about being removed as India's T20I captain and dropped from the squad, revealing that the Ajit Agarkar-led selectors told him it was "time to move on."
Suryakumar Yadav has opened up about being removed as India's T20I captain and dropped from the squad, revealing that the Ajit Agarkar-led selectors told him it was "time to move on." The decision came months after he led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title, having also never lost a series as captain.
Speaking to former India batter Aakash Chopra on YouTube, the cricketer recounted the exchange.Suryakumar said he found the call hard to digest but chose to respect the panel's decision rather than react, adding that he hopes the team does well under new captain Shreyas Iyer. He praised Iyer as a good player and person but admitted disappointment given India's unbeaten run and World Cup and Asia Cup wins. His batting form had dipped through 2025, without a single fifty.
"I was thinking, how can this happen? How is it possible? We just won the World Cup. Yes, IPL was not as good as I wanted. We were sitting at home. Friends came, family came. Everyone said that it's okay. Part of life. But then, when they leave the house. We stay alone at home," he said.
During his captaincy, India did not record any series defeat and won the T20 World Cup on home soil. Although his performances with the bat had become a concern, in 2025 he was unable to register a single half-century for India. and wasn not quite in form at the T20 World Cup; he wasn’t quite effective. Meanwhile, Yadav lauded Shreyas Iyer’s appointment as captain.
