Having recently steered the national side to victory as champions of the T20 World Cup 2026, Suryakumar Yadav no longer finds himself included in the shortest format squad for India. Months after the announcement shocked the sporting community, the right hand batter revealed that his immediate reaction upon reviewing the squad list was simply to smile. Despite holding a formidable leadership record in T20Is, the seasoned player was stripped of the captaincy and omitted from the roster entirely, with Shreyas Iyer taking over the leadership role. Shreyas commenced his tenure during the tour of Ireland before facing England, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India selection committee made the definitive choice to drop Suryakumar from the setup. He had anticipated leading the country through the upcoming Olympic Games and the subsequent T20 World Cup, but the decision makers clearly envisioned a different path.
Because you have not lost a single series in two years. Because when everything is going well, then why? You have won the World Cup and the Asia Cup. We just won the World Cup.
Everyone said that it’s okay. Conversation With The Selectors Communication from the selection panel arrived just days prior to the official squad reveal. During a detailed conversation with former India batter Aakash Chopra on YouTube, the cricketer recounted the exchange. ‘I have seen the team that they have chosen. I have also played a lot of cricket with Shreyas. And I know he is a good player, a good human being, and a good captain also. So, I was not like, “Why did they make him the captain? But yes, I was a little disappointed. Then you want the same thing to go forward. What is the reason for the change? It was going on in my mind. I was sitting at home for a month and a half,’ SKY reflected. ‘I was thinking, how can this happen? How is it possible? Yes, IPL was not as good as how I wanted. We were sitting at home. Friends came, family came. Part of life. But then, when they leave the house. We stay alone at home,’ he concluded.
‘They called me 2-3 days before the team was announced. After coming in 2026, I felt that, going forward, I would be taking this team forward for another two years. Because it’s not my fault. Because when I played cricket with the team for a year or two, and whenever I am playing, so whenever I have been in situations like where there is pressure, where things are not going my way, I have always smiled. Because I felt that this was their call.
You told me. They called me, saying it’s time to move on,’ Suryakumar stated. ‘I didn’t react. That’s not how SKY has ever been. Whatever call someone took. He must have thought that this was better for the team. Going forward, this will be a good call. You took the call. There is no problem,’ he explained. ‘I smiled when my name was not there. I have relaxed. And this is what I have seen: the moments in the past when I have had opportunities to do well. I have been grateful,’ he shared. ‘Obviously, the situation that has come now, even I had not thought that this would happen. The Olympics will come. Then there will be another T20 World Cup, another challenge going forward. But at the same time, what you think and what the other person thinks are two different things. It is important for them to respect their own thoughts. If they thought that going forward, this is a better call, they took that call. But I didn’t react. They took that call in that moment. Going forward, if this team can do well under someone else, no problem,’ he added.
