Removing Suryakumar Yadav As T20I Captain At This Stage May Not Be Right, Says MSK Prasad

Removing Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain at this stage may not be right, says MSK Prasad (Image Source: IANS)

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Former India wicketkeeper and chief selector MSK Prasad on Thursday cautioned against removing Suryakumar Yadav as captain of the men’s T20I side, saying such a move at this stage would not be the right one and that selectors should instead look to groom younger leaders from now onwards.

Despite a few half‑centuries in the bilateral series against New Zealand earlier this year and a match‑winning knock in the T20 World Cup opening game against the USA, consistency has eluded Suryakumar. After India won the T20 World Cup under his leadership, Suryakumar’s form dipped further in IPL 2026, where he managed only 270 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 147.54, with just two fifties.

With India’s selectors set to meet in Mumbai on Saturday for selecting squads for the two games against Ireland, to be played on June 26 and 28, followed by five T20Is in England from July 1 to 11, apart from picking India ‘A’ squad for the two red-ball games against Sri Lanka ‘A’, Suryakumar’s future as the T20I captain will be a hot topic of discussion.

“See, are you sending your first team or are you sending your second level? That's the biggest concern. So, if they are sending the first team, I think overlooking Surya is not the right thing to do because he just handed over one more Men’s T20 World Cup to us.

“So, ideally, probably next 5‑6 months or now you have to get ready with your next leaders, right? Axar Patel was your vice‑captain till the T20 World Cup win. Ideally, if you look at it, you have to look forward to the younger leaders. So, if you can identify such leaders and make a deputy to Surya, it will be nice to see. Surya is a phenomenal player,” Prasad told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Thursday.

Prasad admitted that Suryakumar has endured a lean patch but urged patience towards him. “I know that he has gone through a rough patch in the last 1‑1.5 years. Of course, we have other players like Rajat Patidar coming up, and they also deserve their places. “So, what I would like to say is that, removing Surya at this stage, I think, is not the right signal. Give him a couple of series, and if his lean patch continues, then you have a deputy to whom you can hand over the captaincy baton.”

On possible successors of Suryakumar like Shreyas Iyer, the ODI vice-captain, and Hardik Pandya, apart from Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma in the mix, Prasad said, “See, Hardik is one potential candidate. Then, Shreyas is another potential candidate, too. People like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, and Sanju Samson are also in line.

“See, Sanju has led RR for quite some time. Ishan has led recently, and he showed glimpses of class in his captaincy. Tilak Verma is a potential guy. We think that Tilak Verma is the guy and the answer for the next few years for Indian cricket in T20 formats.

“So, he is not a bad choice, too. Rajat Patidar (who led RCB to back-to-back IPL titles) is also one of those. I don't know whether it’s from a captaincy point of view, but he is definitely a guy who should be looked into. So, you have enough ammunition with you. But are you sending your first eleven or are you sending your, maybe, probably the second eleven?”

Shreyas, the frontrunner to succeed Suryakumar, comes with proven captaincy credentials - having led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guiding Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to the finals in 2020 and 2025, respectively.

Kishan captained Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pat Cummins’ absence during IPL 2026 after earlier leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph. Varma, meanwhile, has been a regular leader for India ‘A’ in white‑ball cricket and is set to captain them in the upcoming 50‑over tri‑series in Sri Lanka starting June 9.

Samson has previously led Rajasthan Royals to the runners‑up spot in IPL 2022 and was adjudged Player of the Tournament in India’s T20 World Cup win. Pandya, who has captained India in Rohit Sharma’s absence, also guided the Gujarat Titans to the IPL crown in 2022, though his leadership stint with the Mumbai Indians has not been that memorable.

Prasad further suggested giving some players a break who featured in both the World Cup and IPL for the trips to Ireland and England. “If you see, after the World Cup, all the players who played in the World Cup looked jaded and exhausted in the IPL. So, why don't you give a break to all those World Cup players and give opportunities to those who have performed in this IPL?

“So, in that way, you hand over that baton to Shreyas Iyer or XYZ and whoever is seen as a future leader. I think Shreyas is definitely a potential guy. So, you make and send them to Ireland because I am sure that they can beat Ireland. So, give a break to them because this IPL has been a very, very hot summer, and immediately after the World Cup.

Prasad further suggested giving some players a break who featured in both the World Cup and IPL for the trips to Ireland and England. “If you see, after the World Cup, all the players who played in the World Cup looked jaded and exhausted in the IPL. So, why don't you give a break to all those World Cup players and give opportunities to those who have performed in this IPL?

“They are already playing for the country in some form or another. So, make a good side, then Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is there too, while Abhishek and Sanju are anyway there. Give some break to all those people who looked very tired - both physically and mentally,” he concluded.

Article Source: IANS