Suryakumar Yadav Breaks Silence On T20I Captaincy Exit: “I Was Completely Shocked”

Suryakumar Yadav has opened up about the difficult period that followed his removal as India’s T20I captain, admitting that the decision left him stunned and forced him to reassess his future in the game.

The 35-year-old Mumbai batter revealed that he spent nearly two months at home trying to understand what had happened after losing the leadership role. The disappointment was compounded when he was subsequently left out of India’s T20I squad for the United Kingdom tour, which included matches against Ireland and England.

Suryakumar had expected to continue leading India after overseeing a successful period that included the T20 World Cup triumph and an Asia Cup victory. Instead, Shreyas Iyer was handed the captaincy following his impressive leadership stint with Punjab Kings in the IPL.

Speaking to former India cricketer Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel, Suryakumar said he was initially unsure whether he even wanted to continue playing.

He credited his wife for helping him regain perspective and reminding him why he had started playing cricket in the first place.

Suryakumar has been one of India's most prolific T20I batters, scoring 3,272 runs in 113 matches at a strike rate of 162.94, including four centuries and 25 fifties. However, his batting returns declined after India's 2024 T20 World Cup success.

Despite the setback, Suryakumar said he deliberately chose not to react angrily when his name was missing from the squad. He also insisted that he respected the decision-makers and had no issue with Iyer taking over.

The batter described Iyer as a good player, good person and capable captain, while acknowledging that the decision had nevertheless been painful.

Suryakumar said he had been preparing to lead India through the next phase, including another T20 World Cup and the Olympics. But he accepted that his plans and the team's plans were not necessarily the same.

For now, the former captain appears determined to move forward, with his focus once again firmly on the game that he has loved for two decades.