Suryakumar Yadav is reportedly set to lose India's T20I captaincy despite leading the team to a T20 World Cup title. The development has sparked discussion among cricket followers, as it comes shortly after India lifted the trophy under his leadership.
Reports suggest that concerns over Suryakumar's recent batting form have influenced the selectors' thinking. While India won the T20 World Cup, the batter struggled to produce consistent performances during the tournament.
Suryakumar scored 242 runs in eight matches at the World Cup. However, 84 of those runs came in a single innings against the USA. Apart from that knock, he was unable to make the kind of impact that has often defined his T20 career.
His struggles continued during IPL 2026. Playing for Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar scored 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.77. Although he maintained a strike rate of 147.54, he could not deliver regular match-winning performances.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif said he was not surprised by reports that Suryakumar could be removed as T20I captain. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif compared the situation with Rohit Sharma's removal from India's ODI captaincy last year.
"I am not surprised. I was only shocked when Rohit lost captaincy. After that, all this seems normal," Kaif said.
He added that Rohit's removal was an even bigger decision and suggested the selectors may now be following a broader leadership approach.
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"It is a big call. But Rohit's call was a triple-bigger call than this. Because that has already happened, I feel they also want to balance it out now to show it was not only with Rohit, and this is our pattern in the future as well," Kaif said.
Kaif also defended Suryakumar and said a World Cup-winning captain deserves greater backing from the team management and selectors.
According to Kaif, leadership success should not be overlooked because of a temporary loss of form with the bat. He argued that Suryakumar remains a proven performer and should be given more opportunities.
"I feel that Surya won the trophy as captain, so he deserves to be in the team. Yes, he is not scoring runs. But we want the trophy to be with us and for the Indian team to keep doing well," Kaif said.
He further stated that a player with Suryakumar's record should receive support during difficult periods.
The reported captaincy change has raised questions about India's future leadership plans in T20 cricket. While no official announcement has been made, the discussion highlights the increasing importance selectors place on both leadership and individual performance.
A final decision on India's T20I captaincy is expected to become clearer when the selectors announce their next squad.