'I could have got ODI captaincy if...: Suryakumar Yadav's big statement on Rohit Sharma's ouster as India skipper

Suryakumar Yadav made a bold public statement suggesting that he believes he could have been given the role just days after the significant decision to remove Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain. Despite his established success, Suryakumar has not played a 50-over match since the 2023 World Cup final. His consistent and dominant performances in the T20I format saw him ultimately edge out Hardik Pandya for the T20I captaincy. However, he has struggled to translate that brilliant form to the ODI arena, tallying 773 runs across 37 ODIs (in 35 innings).

Suryakumar Yadav rues missing India's ODI captaincy

The ODI captaincy ultimately went to Shubman Gill, who serves as Suryakumar's deputy in the T20I setup. Reflecting on the opportunity he missed, Suryakumar said during a podcast as quoted by TOI:

"Now I think that if I had done well in the ODI format, just like how T20I captaincy is going now, I could have got the ODI captaincy as well. I’m thinking about it now. Earlier, I didn’t think about it."

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He admitted to seeing the formats as similar, noting, "Because the format is 30 overs and a bit longer. The ball color is the same. The jersey is almost the same."

Even now, I will try. I’ll give it my 100 percent: SKY

He concluded by confirming his ongoing ambition: "Even now, I will try. I’ll give it my 100 percent. It’s always been a dream."

The 35-year-old made his ODI debut in 2021 but has been absent from the squad since the end of the 2023 World Cup. Beyond limited-overs cricket, he also played a single Test match early in 2023. Having earned his maiden Test call-up back in 2021, he had to wait two years before making his red-ball debut for India.

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Although Suryakumar Yadav currently holds the T20I captaincy, there remains a possibility of a leadership change in that format after the 2026 T20 World Cup. This speculation comes despite the fact that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee recently chose to remove Rohit Sharma from the ODI captaincy, even after he led India to a victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

With Shubman Gill now captaining India in two formats (ODIs and T20Is), he is strongly positioned to become the team's next all-format captain following the 2026 tournament. Gill's next assignment is the highly-anticipated ODI series against India, which is set to start form October 19