Suryakumar Yadav speaks publicly after being removed as India T20I captain
Suryakumar Yadav has for the first time publicly addressed his removal as India’s T20I captain during a conversation with former India batter Aakash Chopra, comments published on August 29, 2026 show. He said he was surprised to be left out of the national T20I squad and disappointed at losing the leadership role.
Suryakumar led India to the ICC T20 World Cup title in 2026 but is no longer part of the T20I squad, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) handing the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer. The decision came soon after India’s successful World Cup campaign and, according to the report, selectors opted to pick a new captain as they look ahead to the next two-year cycle.
Suryakumar said he had expected to continue as captain for the next couple of years and cited forthcoming events when explaining his surprise. “After coming in 2026, I felt that, going forward, I would be taking this team forward for another two years. The Olympics will come. Then there will be another T20 World Cup,” he added.
He described his immediate reaction to not being selected and framed it in terms of his on-field temperament. “I smiled when my name was not there. Because when I played cricket with the team for a year or two, and whenever I am playing, whenever I have been in a situation like where there is pressure, where things are not going my way. I have always smiled. I have relaxed,” Suryakumar said.
Suryakumar said he questioned the rationale for the change given India’s recent results under his captaincy, including series records and tournament wins. “I was a little disappointed. Because you have not lost a single series in two years. You have won the World Cup and the Asia Cup. Then you want the same thing to go forward. Because when everything is going well, then why? What are the reasons for the change?” he said. “I was thinking, how can this happen? How is it possible? We just won the World Cup, “ Surya added.
He also recounted the communication from selectors, saying they called him “2-3 days before the team was announced” and told him “it’s time to move on.” “They called me 2-3 days before the team was announced. They called me, saying it’s time to move on. I didn’t react,” he said.
The report states that selectors moved in a different direction and that Suryakumar’s batting form over the previous year was a concern. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed India’s new T20I captain, and Suryakumar said he had no issue with Iyer taking charge and would be ready if India called him back in the future.
The selectors’ decision to replace Suryakumar with Shreyas Iyer forms part of the selection plan for the upcoming two-year cycle, leaving Suryakumar out of the current T20I squad while he remains available for recall.