Suryakumar Yadav Breaks Silence on T20I Captaincy Removal

Suryakumar Yadav has spoken publicly for the first time about his shock removal as India's T20I captain and subsequent omission from the squad, revealing that selectors told him it was "time to move on" just months after he led the team to a T20 World Cup title on home soil. The 35-year-old described the decision, made in June 2026, as difficult to digest but said he chose to respect the selection panel's judgment. In an interview with former cricketer Aakash Chopra, Yadav recounted that he was informed of the change two or three days before the squad for tours to Ireland and England was announced. He said chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the panel pointed to his poor form in the 2026 Indian Premier League as a reason. Yadav had endured a challenging IPL campaign with the Mumbai Indians, scoring just 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76, and had not registered a single half-century for India in 2025. "I was thinking, how can this happen? We just won the World Cup," Yadav said, describing his initial reaction. He admitted he had expected to lead the team for another two years, including at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the next T20 World Cup.