India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lose his place in the team. According to the latest reports, the Indian selectors are likely to take a decision on his future when they meet to pick the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
On May 19, India’s national selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, will meet in Guwahati to pick the squad for the one-off Test and upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. While these are the formal objectives of the meeting, a report in Sportstar states that the selectors may also informally discuss the way forward for the T20I team.
After the series against Afghanistan, India will play two T20 matches against Ireland in late June, followed by five T20 matches and three ODIs against England in July. India will also play 3 T20 matches against Zimbabwe in late July.
Suryakumar Yadav struggles with the bat in T20Is and IPL
Although Suryakumar Yadav was the captain when India won the T20 World Cup on home soil earlier this year, the selectors seem ready to move on from him.
Since becoming the full-time T20I captain in July 2024, Suryakumar’s bat statistics have been disappointing, even though he has not lost any T20I series as captain yet.
As full-time captain, Suryakumar Yadav has scored 932 runs in 45 matches at an average of 25.88 and a strike rate of 152. He has also scored 6 half-centuries, including three in a series against New Zealand earlier this year.
In fact, out of 9 series/tournaments in this time frame, ‘Sky’ has crossed the 100-run mark only three times. And this also includes 242 runs at a strike rate of just 136 in the T20 World Cup won as captain.
The real kicker, however, has been his poor form in IPL 2026. In 11 matches, he has scored just 195 runs at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 144 with just one half-century. This is much worse than 2025, when he scored more than 700 runs in 16 matches.
Selectors are looking forward to 2028
Although most of the focus is currently on the ODI World Cup to be held in South Africa next year, the Indian selectors are planning to create a roadmap for the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2028.
Suryakumar Yadav will be 38 by the time that incident occurs, and he may not be part of the team’s long-term plans.
However, as of now, there seems to be no immediate successor ready to take over the reins from Suryakumar Yadav. Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have been speculated as successors, but there is no concrete answer yet.
Also Read: Phil Salt injury update: RCB releases official medical bulletin amid IPL 2026
Auqib Nabi will join the team for the first time
Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi, who played a key role in his team’s maiden Ranji Trophy win earlier this year, is expected to get his first chance in the Indian Test team.
It remains to be seen whether the senior players are rested for the game, as was reported earlier.
