Suryakumar Yadav on sacking India T20I captain: I thought I would lead for another 2 years

Suryakumar Yadav has finally broken his silence on being dropped from India’s T20I captaincy and said he thinks he will lead the team for another two years. India enjoyed a golden era under Suryakumar, never losing a bilateral series and also winning the Asia Cup.

The highlight came this year when India became the first team to win the FIFA World Cup T20 at home, winning the title for an unprecedented third time. However, Suryakumar’s batting form has declined over the past year. In 2025, he scored 218 runs from 21 matches at an average of 13.62.

BCCI then decided to hand over the reigns to Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar was dropped from the team completely before the tour of England. In an interview with Aakash Chopra, Suryakumar said that he smiled when his team was not on the list to cope with the setback.

“I smiled when my name wasn’t there. Because when I played cricket with the team for a year or two and whenever I play, whenever I’ve been in situations where there’s pressure, where things don’t go my way, I’ve always smiled. I’ve relaxed. And that’s what I saw: moments in the past when I had the opportunity to play with former batsman Suryaakashpra, I was grateful.

The former Indian captain also said that he plans to lead the team to the next T20 World Cup and the LA Olympics. However, he admitted that he has no problems with the call.

“Obviously, the situation that has happened now, even I didn’t think it would happen. Coming into 2026, I felt that I would carry this team forward for another two years. The Olympics will come. Then there will be another T20 World Cup, another challenge for the future.”

“But at the same time, what you think and what the other person thinks are two different things. It’s important that they respect their own thoughts. If they thought this was a better call going forward, they took the call. But I didn’t respond. Because I felt it was their call. At that point, they took the call. Going forward, if this team does well under someone else, no problem,” Suryakumar said.

“HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?”

Despite accepting the decision, Suryakumar said he was finding it difficult to understand the BCCI’s move, especially after leading India to T20 World Cup glory.

“I was like, how can this happen? How is it possible? We just won the World Cup. Yes, the IPL was not as good as I wanted. We were sitting at home. Friends came, family came. Everyone said it was fine. Part of life. But then when they leave the house. We stay home alone,” said Suryakumar.

Suryakumar said the selectors had spoken to him a few days before the team announcement and informed him that it was time for a change. Rather than question the call or express his disappointment, he took their decision in stride.

“They called me 2-3 days before the team announcement. They called me that it’s time to move on. I didn’t respond. Because it’s not my fault. SKY has never been like that. Whoever took the call. He must have thought it was better for the team. It will be a good call for the future. You took the call. You told me. SKY is no problem.”

“I am ready. You can call me anytime. I play cricket anytime. I will continue to play. Whenever you feel the time is right. Things are right,” he added.

Suryakumar recently said that he is doing everything to stay fit and hopes that the Indian team’s return is in store for him.

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Published on:

29 Aug 2026 16:44 IST