Suryakumar Yadav was not only removed from captaincy but also dropped from India's T20I side, with Shreyas Iyer replacing him as captain. The Men in Blue
are set to play two T20Is against Ireland in June and five against England in July. They will then defend their Asian Games gold medal later this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for the three assignments on Saturday, June 6. Suryakumar becomes the first Indian captain to be removed from his role and dropped from the side after winning an ICC event.
The decision taken by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee to remove Suryakumar has met mixed reactions on social media. While many have welcomed the move to appoint Shreyas the captain, some have opined that Suryakumar should have been given a few matches as a specialist batter to return to form.
The Mumbai Indians' batter took to his official Instagram handle, shared the squads on his story, and wished the selected players the best for their upcoming assignments.
"Wishing this highly skilled group all the best for challenges ahead," the 35-year-old wrote on his Instagram story.
Suryakumar also shared another story of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who earned his maiden call-up to international cricket. He has been picked as the third opener apart from Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for the three T20I assignments.
"You have earned it and How. Super excited to follow your journey," the right-handed batter mentioned in his story.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was asked in the press conference after the squad announcement whether he had communicated to Suryakumar about the decision to drop him. The former India bowler replied in the affirmative.
"I talked to most people, particularly when it comes to a captain who has won the World Cup. We had that chat," Agarkar said.
Agarkar also mentioned that Shreyas playing well during the Indian Premier League (IPL) made the job easier for the selectors.
"We debated it a lot, not the easiest discussion especially if you've won the WC. At some stage, we would've discussed. Shreyas playing as well as he has made the decision easier," Agarkar stated.
