Captaincy, per se, was never an issue. But his declining numbers in T20 cricket for the longest time appear to have exhausted the patience of the selectors and team management.
Suryakumar Yadav is reportedly set to be removed as the captain of the Indian T20I side and could also lose his place in the format after nearly 18 months of underwhelming returns.
The question subsequently begs: who will be India’s next T20I captain?
Shreyas Iyer has long been speculated to be the most “obvious choice” for the role, according to a PTI report, despite not having featured in the Indian T20I side since December 2023. In the last three seasons, he has taken two different teams to the IPL final, including leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the title in 2024 – a statistic that has always worked in his favour in this discussion.
However, the captaincy choice is far from straightforward.
The report added that India head coach Gautam Gambhir is not entirely convinced about Iyer becoming the next captain. The two were part of the KKR setup in 2024, where Gambhir served as mentor. At the time, Iyer had publicly spoken about feeling underappreciated despite leading the side to the title.
The other “contender to become the next T20 captain” is Tilak Varma, who enjoys the backing of several members of the selection committee, who believe his age makes him an ideal long-term candidate.
“Tilak has been made captain for the A series in Sri Lanka to check out his captaincy credentials,” a BCCI source aware of the developments told PTI on Wednesday.
According to the report, Gambhir’s preferred candidate is Sanju Samson. The India wicketkeeper-batter had a fabulous T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he came off the bench in the second half of the tournament to score 321 runs in just five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37. That run included three consecutive half-centuries in the knockout stages, including the final.
However, the selectors are not entirely convinced by that option, given concerns over whether either Samson or Ishan Kishan can deliver sustained consistency as long-term members of the side.
With Iyer, Tilak and Samson all enjoying support from different corners, India’s search for its next T20I captain appears far more complicated than simply finding Suryakumar’s successor.