Shreyas Iyer, the top contender for India T20I captaincy, says Ricky Ponting

As chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the BCCI selection panel met in Guwahati on Tuesday to finalize the Test and ODI squads for the upcoming multi-format series against Afghanistan in June, the wider conversation around the national leadership continued in the background. It is against this background that Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting dropped a tactical bomb regarding the T20I captaincy. According to the former Australian skipper, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer is not just a dark horse to return to the national rope – he is a top contender to potentially succeed Suryakumar Yadav as India’s next T20I captain.

The timing of Ponting’s support is fraught with intense selection drama. The news amplified it Suryakumar’s captaincy will be under scrutiny amid a dip in his personal form and the team’s need to look to the future. While the incumbent, who led the team to World Cup glory earlier this year, is expected to hold the reins for the upcoming double tours of Ireland and England in June-July, his leash is getting shorter.

Enter Shreyas Iyer.

“I think there are several contenders but he (Shreyas Iyer) is one of the main contenders as far as I am concerned,” Ponting told PTI on Wednesday.

“I think we saw at the start of the tournament how good a T20 player he is and where he is, on and off the field.

IYER IN THE RAY?

There is an element of sweet vindication to Iyer’s inclusion in the captaincy debate, but it is wrapped in immense irony. The 31-year-old is in full T20I exile from December 2023. Although he was named in the squad for the home series against New Zealand earlier this year just ahead of the T20 World Cup, he spent the entire assignment warming the bench.

Still, Iyer has forced his way back into the conversation through sheer evolution. Long pigeonholed as a slow anchor, Iyer has radically rebuilt his T20 game over the last two seasons of the IPL. His strike rate, which historically hovered at a modest 135, soared to 178 last year and his total this season stands at an impressive 162.31.

However, the story surrounding Iyer’s leadership was suddenly complicated by a nagging mid-season crisis. After a spectacular first half that saw Punjab flying high in the top half of the table, The Kings suffered a disastrous collapse, losing six straight games on reflection. Iyer’s own golden touch with the bat has surprisingly dissipated with his team’s fortunes. In the second half of the league phase, the skipper looked a shadow of his early-season self, culminating in a series of low scores, including just 4 against Mumbai and a disastrous 3-ball 1 run during a steep 223-run chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

It was this sharp decline that Ponting was forced to address, choosing to view the slump as a test of character rather than a fatal flaw.

“I think he’s a much more mature player than he’s probably ever been in his entire career,” Ponting said in defense of his captain. “I think he’s at the very top of his game now. He’s probably a good example of what I was talking about earlier; it’s really difficult to maintain a high level of consistency over 14 games of cricket. You’re going to have your ups and downs as an individual and as a team.”

“BOUNCE”

Despite a six-match skid that has left Punjab desperately clinging to mathematical qualification hopes, Ponting remains adamant that his captain will break the rut in their final league game against Lucknow.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll bounce back in this last game we’ve got. If he stands up and scores a big goal, then we’ve got a good chance to win the game.”

Crucially, Ponting’s assessment extends far beyond cricket. The legendary Australian has long questioned the selectors’ reluctance to fully include Iyer in India’s white-ball premiership plans.

“I’ve been pretty vocal for the last couple of years that whenever India pick a team and Shreyas isn’t in it, I’m always very surprised,” Ponting admitted. “On the back of this IPL, I’m sure he’s one name the selectors will be talking about, not only to get him back into the side but also with the captaincy next to his name.”

The path forward will not be straightforward. India’s middle order is a crowded space and the national selectors will no doubt look at Punjab’s recent free fall before handing over any managerial keys. Ponting acknowledges the unique ecosystem of Indian cricket, but believes Iyer has reached the golden intersection of age and tactical acumen.

“The thing about Indian cricket is that you don’t just come back into teams. You have to run the board a lot and do it in a certain way. His season so far has been very impressive and his captaincy has been outstanding,” concluded Ponting.

“I just think he’s in that little sweet spot in his life and career where, if the captain came to him, then I think he would take advantage of it.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

20 May 2026 14:20 IST