CHENNAI: The murmurs have been going around for a while. Will Suryakumar Yadav be replaced as India's T20I captain? Who will be his successor? Can a T20 World Cup-winning skipper — India have only three of them including MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Yadav — lose his job the next series after the title triumph? These questions were asked around quietly throughout the recently concluded Indian Premier League.
While some felt it could be harsh to remove a captain just after bringing glory to the country, others felt it is time to move forward. It did not help that Yadav had a poor run with the bat during the IPL and missed games due to wrist injury. There were informal discussion on his future when the squad for Afghanistan series was picked last month. The doubts and chatter only grew louder when the 35-year-old was left out of the Asian Games long list, which included Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Shubman Gill and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Now, the end seems inevitable with multiple reports indicating that Yadav is set to be replaced as India's T20I captain when the selectors meet to pick the squad for Ireland and England T20Is. Appointed as T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya, the then vice-captain, after Rohit's T20I retirement post the T20 World Cup triumph, Yadav has an impeccable win record. In the two years he headed the team, India went on to win every single T20I series with the icing on the cake being the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
However, it is some ways understandable that Yadav was always a transitional captain despite him expressing his desire to continue till the 2028 T20 WC and the Olympics. When he took over, he was 33 and soon Gill was named his deputy before losing his place ahead of the T20 WC. Gill's — who is already Test and ODI skipper — appointment at the time was indicator enough that Yadav's future as India captain was time-limited. And the precedent was set when Rohit was replaced as ODI captain by Gill in the first series after the Champions Trophy triumph with eyes on the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. Now, with another two years to go for the next T20 WC and Olympics, the selectors and the BCCI seemed to have decided to move on from the 35-year-old Mumbai batter and build for the future.
Who could be successor?
Iyer, who has had back-to-back stellar IPL seasons despite Punjab Kings not qualifying this year, seems to be the front-runner, with him slotting in place of Yadav at No 4. However, whether Iyer is a name that would be agreed upon by the selectors, BCCI and head Gautam Gambhir remains to be seen. Which is why other names like Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson could be considered for the time being. While Varma has not led at IPL level or higher, both Kishan and Samson have shown leadership qualities over the years. Not to mention Gill, who too had a sensational season leading Gujarat Titans to the final, who if appointed could become the all-format captain.
“I would look at whoever has got a better chance of playing two years ahead (in terms of captaincy). Shreyas Iyer can be one candidate. Even Ishan Kishan has been playing well. There is still a bit of time left to decide upon that. You can try out a couple of options, whoever fits the bill. Then you can take it forward. Not that you have to have somebody leading the side now straight away,” former national selector Devang Gandhi had told this daily earlier in May.
Either way, it will have to be someone who could lead India over the next couple of years, leading up to the T20 WC and Olympics.
