Suryakumar Yadav may have lost captaincy of the Indian T20I team, and possibly his place in the side as well, on Saturday but seemed to have no qualms in congratulating Shreyas Iyer, with whom he has shared dressing rooms in domestic cricket for many a year, and wishing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi well ahead of India’s tours of Ireland and England.
Suryakumar’s time as India captain came to an end on Friday with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announcing Iyer as the new incumbent in a role. “Very happy that a Mumbaikar is going to lead in T20I. Wishing you all the luck. Boys are super amazing. They will definitely respond well to your ideas,” said Suryakumar in a post on his Instagram stories along with a pic of him hugging Iyer.
“Be yourself. I am watching you closely,” he cheekily concluded.
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Suryakumar earlier also wished the Indian team that was announced all the best and reserved special words of praise for Sooryavanshi, who is the youngest to have been called up to the Indian men’s team in any format. “You have earned it and how. Super excited to follow your journey,” said Suryakumar.
Suryakumar Yadav posted a series of stories on his Instagram handle after Saturday’s team announcement. (Source: Suryakumar Yadav Instagram)
Saturday’s announcement was an extraordinary one – although Suryakumar has been struggling to replicate the kind of form that made him the best T20 batter in the world before he became captain in late 2024, his last act as captain was leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title. Moreover, Iyer’s last T20 match for India was in December 2023.
While Iyer wasn’t known for being a big-hitter at the time, a lot has changed since. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and then changed his game entirely to become one of the most destructive batters in the league after moving to Punjab Kings and becoming their captain the next season.
If this is the end of the line for Suryakumar Yadav in international cricket, it brings the curtains down on one of the greatest ever careers for India in T20Is. SKY has scored 3272 runs in 113 T20Is at a strike rate of 162.98 and average of 36.35 with four centuries and 25 half-centuries. He is India’s third highest run scorer in the format, only behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
