Star India batter Suryakumar Yadav has said that he and Shreyas Iyer have played a lot of cricket together in Mumbai and he is happy that India’s last three T20I captains, namely him, Rohit Sharma and Iyer,
have all come from the same city.
On Saturday, June 6, the national selectors appointed Iyer as India’s T20I skipper, replacing Suryakumar ahead of three upcoming assignments: the tours of Ireland and England in June-July, as well as the Asian Games scheduled for September-October.
Suryakumar lost his leadership and place in the team, leaving his career in the doldrums.
“I am so happy for Shreyas for becoming the captain of the Indian T20I team. We have played all our cricket together here in Mumbai and it feels amazing that the last three T20 captains of India have all come from Mumbai,” Suryakumar said while speaking at the toss of the Mumbai T20 game between Triumphs Knights MNE and SoBo Mumbai Falcons.
Iyer’s brilliant captaincy credentials in the IPL, leading KKR to the title in 2024 and PBKS to the final in 2025, along with two seasons of consistent outings with the bat prompted the selectors to zero in on him to replace T20 World Cup 2026 winning skipper Suryakumar.
Suryakumar not only lost the leadership but also his place in the team.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Suryakumar’s dip in form over the last two seasons influenced the decision to remove him from the T20 captaincy group, though he clarified that it wasn’t the only factor behind the move.
“With regards to Surya, obviously it is a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is,” Agarkar said at the press conference.
