India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav finally removed the curtain on how he ended up taking over the role after the team’s T20 World Cup 2024 win in Barbados. Days after India's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, Suryakumar Yadav said he found out about the decision just a few days before India’s next series. After Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is, many expected Hardik Pandya to become captain, especially since he had already led the team during 2022–23 when senior players were resting in the shortest format of the game.
Hardik also had a strong T20 World Cup, playing an important role in India’s title win. So when Suryakumar was named captain instead, it surprised a lot of people.
Talking about that moment, Suryakumar said it was then BCCI secretary Jay Shah who informed him. He got a call just three to four days before the Sri Lanka tour.
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“So we waited for a few days before the series. Then there was a time when Jay Bhai, the BCCI secretary at that time, called me three or four days before the Sri Lanka series. I think we were going to Sri Lanka,” Suryakumar Yadav told PTI.
Who was involved in the decision to appoint SKY as India's captain
According to him, Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and then head coach Rahul Dravid were all involved in the decision. He also mentioned that Gautam Gambhir joined the setup later.
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“He called me and told me that they were making me the captain of the T20 team going forward. Yes, he called me first. But I was pretty sure that it was all being planned by Rohit Bhai and Ajit Bhai at that time,” he said.
“Gautam Bhai came in later. They, along with Rahul Sir, Rahul Dravid, the coach then, had discussed it with Jay Bhai. Then they decided that I should lead India going forward,” the batter added.
Meanwhile, Hardik not only missed out on the captaincy but was also removed from the vice-captain role later, with Shubman Gill and then Axar Patel taking over that position.
India's performance under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy
Under Suryakumar’s captaincy, India performed very well in T20Is. The team dominated the bilateral series and went on to win the T20 World Cup again in 2026, beating New Zealand in the final. With that win, India became the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup and the first to win it at home.