India captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed how he guided then vice-captain Hardik Pandya to the position right after winning the 2024 FIFA World Cup T20 in Barbados. In an interview with PTI, Suryakumar revealed for the first time in one-and-a-half years the exact circumstances under which he came to know that he would take over the T20I side from Rohit Sharma after his retirement.
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The decision, when announced, came as a shock to many as all-rounder Hardik Pandya led the side in the 2022-23 season after Rohit and Virat Kohli voluntarily called off the T20I set-up. In the 2024 FIFA T20 World Cup, Hardik was one of India’s key performers and played a key role in the final to help India end their ICC trophy drought.
Despite his heroics, Hardik was not named the T20I captain and handed over the baton to Suryakumar Yadav instead.
Yadav revealed that it was then BCCI secretary Jay Shah who broke the news to him just days before India’s first bilateral series after the T20 World Cup win.
“So we waited for a few days before the series. Then there was a time when Jay Bhai, the then BCCI secretary, called me three or four days before the Sri Lanka series. I think we went to Sri Lanka,” Suryakumar Yadav said in an interview.
Suryakumar added that he believed the decision was shaped by the then management group, Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and then head coach Rahul Dravid.
“He called me and told me that they are making me the captain of the T20 team going forward. Yes, he called me first. But I was pretty sure that Rohit Bhai and Ajit Bhai were planning it at that time,” he said.
“Gautam Bhai came later. Along with Rahul Sir and the then coach Rahul Dravid, they discussed it with Jay Bhai. Then they decided that I should continue to lead India,” added the batsman.
HARDIK REMOVED FROM LEADERSHIP
Meanwhile, Hardik not only got bowled by Suryakumar but was also removed as vice-captain – first by Shubman Gill and then by Axar Patel.
Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India soon became a dominant force in the T20I format. The team first established their dominance in the bilateral series before winning the 2026 T20 World Cup with an impressive performance against the New Zealand national cricket team in the final.
India became the first team to successfully defend the World T20 title and also the first team to lift the trophy on home soil.
After his World Cup triumph, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that his next major target is the cricket tournament at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
16 March 2026 21:35 IST
