Former India Chief Selector Warns: 'Overlooking Surya Is Not The Right Thing To Do Because...'

Former India wicketkeeper and former chief selector MSK Prasad on Thursday cautioned against removing Suryakumar Yadav as captain of the men’s T20I side, saying such a move at this stage would be inappropriate and that selectors should instead start grooming younger leaders.

Despite a few half-centuries in the bilateral series against New Zealand earlier this year and a match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup opening game against the USA, consistency has eluded Suryakumar. After India won the T20 World Cup under his leadership, his form dipped further in IPL 2026, where he scored only 270 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 147.54, with just two fifties.

With India’s selectors set to meet in Mumbai on Saturday to pick squads for the two T20Is

against Ireland, to be played on June 26 and 28, followed by five T20Is in England from July 1 to 11, as well as the India ‘A’ squad for two red-ball games against Sri Lanka ‘A’, Suryakumar’s future as T20I captain is expected to be a major topic of discussion.

“See, are you sending your first team or are you sending your second level? That’s the biggest concern. So, if they are sending the first team, I think overlooking Surya is not the right thing to do because he just handed over one more Men’s T20 World Cup to us.

“So, ideally, probably in the next 5-6 months or now, you have to get ready with your next leaders, right? Axar Patel was your vice-captain till the T20 World Cup win. Ideally, if you look at it, you have to look forward to the younger leaders. So, if you can identify such leaders and make a deputy to Surya, it will be nice to see. Surya is a phenomenal player,” Prasad told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Thursday.

SKY’s Troubles With Bat?

Prasad acknowledged that Suryakumar has endured a lean patch but urged patience. “I know that he has gone through a rough patch in the last 1-1.5 years. Of course, we have other players like Rajat Patidar coming up, and they also deserve their places. So, what I would like to say is that removing Surya at this stage, I think, is not the right signal. Give him a couple of series, and if his lean patch continues, then you have a deputy to whom you can hand over the captaincy baton.”

Speaking about possible successors to Suryakumar, such as ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya, along with Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, Prasad said, “See, Hardik is one potential candidate. Then, Shreyas is another potential candidate, too. People like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, and Sanju Samson are also in line.

“See, Sanju has led RR for quite some time. Ishan has led recently, and he showed glimpses of class in his captaincy. Tilak Verma is a potential guy. We think that Tilak Verma is the guy and the answer for the next few years for Indian cricket in T20 formats.

“So, he is not a bad choice, too. Rajat Patidar (who led RCB to back-to-back IPL titles) is also one of those. I don’t know whether it’s from a captaincy point of view, but he is definitely a guy who should be looked into. So, you have enough ammunition with you. But are you sending your first eleven or are you sending your, maybe, probably the second eleven?”

Who Takes Over As Skipper?

Shreyas, considered the frontrunner to succeed Suryakumar, comes with proven captaincy credentials, having led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guiding Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to the finals in 2020 and 2025, respectively.

Kishan captained Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pat Cummins’ absence during IPL 2026 after earlier leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. Varma, meanwhile, has been a regular leader for India ‘A’ in white-ball cricket and is set to captain them in the upcoming 50-over tri-series in Sri Lanka starting June 9.

Samson has previously led Rajasthan Royals to the runners-up spot in IPL 2022 and was adjudged Player of the Tournament in India’s T20 World Cup win. Pandya, who has captained India in Rohit Sharma’s absence, also led Gujarat Titans to the IPL crown in 2022, though his leadership stint with Mumbai Indians has not been as memorable.

Give Break To Stars Please

Prasad further suggested giving some players who featured in both the World Cup and IPL a break for the tours of Ireland and England. “If you see, after the World Cup, all the players who played in the World Cup looked jaded and exhausted in the IPL. So, why don’t you give a break to all those World Cup players and give opportunities to those who have performed in this IPL?

“So, in that way, you hand over that baton to Shreyas Iyer or XYZ and whoever is seen as a future leader. I think Shreyas is definitely a potential guy. So, you make and send them to Ireland because I am sure that they can beat Ireland. So, give a break to them because this IPL has been a very, very hot summer, and immediately after the World Cup.

“Give a break for all those players and look forward to giving chances to those younger and next-level players, as that will give you a good indication about how to move forward. If you can give opportunities to all these potential players who have done well and who are also seen seriously in the mix from a leadership perspective, someone like Rajat Patidar or Ishan Kishan, as they are already in the wings.

“They are already playing for the country in some form or another. So, make a good side, then Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is there too, while Abhishek and Sanju are anyway there. Give some break to all those people who looked very tired — both physically and mentally,” he concluded.

(With inputs from Agencies)