NEW DELHI: Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to remove Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain was not taken lightly, stressing that selectors reassessed the team’s direction after the 2026 T20 World Cup while also considering the next cycle leading up to the 2028 edition.
BCCI announced a major change in Indian men’s T20I setup on Saturday, handing the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England. Suryakumar not only lost the captaincy but was also left out of the squad.
Explaining the move, Agarkar said Shreyas’ leadership record and recent performances made him the standout candidate for the role.
“With regards to Shreyas, we have seen what he has done over the last few years, leading different franchises,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar told media after announcing the squads for various tours.
“(He) won the final once, and from there a tougher season this year after a great start. We have seen everything that a captain possibly can (handle). His own performances have been really good.”
“He was quite close to getting into the (T20) World Cup squad as well. With Surya still there, there was no room for him, so he is in my opinion a stand-out candidate with enough experience now having led in the T20 format; this is obviously a different challenge,” Agarkar added.
Shreyas returns to India’s T20I squad for the first time since a match against Australia in Bengaluru on December 3, 2023. His captaincy credentials include leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guiding Punjab Kings to the IPL final in 2025.
Agarkar said Suryakumar’s recent form was one of the factors behind the change, though not the only one.
“With regards to Surya, obviously it’s a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is,” Agarkar said.
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“You look at the form in the last two years but he was doing well as a captain (of India). We did not deliberate a lot but at some stage we were going to look ahead,” Agarkar added.
“(It was due to) partly his own form but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward and like I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain.”
“We deliberated on it a lot, especially when someone has led you to a World Cup win. It’s not the easiest sort of discussion to have, but I don’t necessarily think… at some stage, we were going to look at it. Now, whether IPL form dictated it; I’m not so sure that’s the case. There were always conversations around it,” he added.
India will play two T20Is against Ireland on June 26 and 28 before taking on England in a five-match T20I series from July 1 to 11.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was included in the squad, becoming the youngest player ever selected for an Indian team. He broke the record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 years and 205 days old when he made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.
