Team India’s former T20 World Cup winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav finally broke his silence on his omission from the Indian team. Once team India won the T20 World Cup 2026, soon after that, Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee chose Shreyas Iyer as the new captain for Ireland and England.
This tough decision by the selections was a shocker for everyone. The selection committee took this decision because of SKY’s lack of runs over past two years. However, under SKY’s leadership, Team India never lost a T20I series since 2024.
Suryakumar Yadav’s first reaction on team’s omission
Speaking to former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, SKY revealed his reaction to being left out from the team. He said that when his name was not announced in the squad, he just smiled.
Respecting the selectors’ decision, Surya said, ‘I smiled when my name wasn’t there. I always smile and stay calm when the odds are against me or there’s pressure. I’m grateful for the time I got.’
SKY hopes to make a comeback
Referring to his leadership and future plans, SKY said he thought that he would continue leading the team. He said, ‘I didn’t think this would happen. Coming in 2026, I thought I would lead the team for the next two years, the Olympics, and then another T20 World Cup.
But there’s a difference between what you think and what others think. If they thought it was the best decision for the future, they made the decision. I had no complaints because it was their decision.’
Spent months thinking at home
Despite being so calm, SKY did admit that decision wasn’t easy for him to digest. After being dropped from the side after winning the T20 world cup and Asia Cup title, it was disappointing. Expressing his pain, he said, ‘I was definitely a little disappointed.
When you haven’t lost a single series in two years, having won the World Cup and Asia Cup, you think this trend should continue. When everything was going well, what was the reason for the change? This thought kept coming to my mind again and again. I kept thinking about this at home for a month and a half.’
Selectors’ call came after 2-3 days
Speaking about the selection process, SKY revealed that selectors had called him two to three days before the official team announcement and informed him of their decision. He explained, ‘They called me two to three days before the team announcement and said it was time to move on.
I didn’t react harshly, because Surya has never been like that. Whatever decision he made, he must have taken it with the best interests of the team in mind. You made your decision and told me, I have no problem with that.’
SKY as Indian captain
Under SKY’s captaincy, India played around 50 T20Is, winning approximately 42 matches at an impressive 84% success rate. He also guided India to a major T20 title and secured bilateral series wins against Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and England before Shreyas Iyer took over in mid-2026.