Suryakumar Yadav’s nightmare of a year finally ended with the South Africa series. This year has been his worst since his international debut, as the Indian legend could score only 218 runs in his 19 innings at a strike rate of 123.2.
The India men’s selection committee announced the final 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and there were several surprises in the announcement, especially the exclusion of former vice-captain Shubman Gill from the team.
There are two players returning to the team: Rinku Singh, who has replaced Shubman, and the other is Ishan Kishan, who has replaced Jitesh Sharma. Axar Patel has been made the vice-captain of the team.
Shubman Gill’s exclusion was an ultimatum for other players of the Indian team.
The Indian youngster, who is often cited as the future of Indian cricket and has also been named Test and ODI captain, was left out of the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Shubman Gill’s insult will be a statement to the rest of the team who are going through a bad phase.
Since returning to the Indian team ahead of the Asia Cup, Shubman Gill has appeared in 15 matches for India and has managed to score only 291 runs at a strike rate of around 137. However, Gill was not the only player going through a poor run of form; Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s performance with the bat has been quite disappointing.
In 19 innings played for India, Suryakumar could score only 218 runs at a strike rate of 123.2. It also needs to be kept in mind that, unlike Shubman Gill, he plays just one format of the game. According to the latest reports from PTI, Suryakumar Yadav is also on the verge of losing his place if his poor performance continues.
“Today it was Gill, tomorrow it could be Suryakumar Yadav”
Everyone knows this; If Suryakumar Yadav had not been the captain of the Indian team, he would have been the first player to be dropped from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad. However, they will not get this privilege for long, as many players are in line to be included in India’s T20I squad.
“SKY, who as captain retained his place despite a poor year of performances, while Gill suffered as his game did not look as impressive compared to opening partner Abhishek Sharma,” the report said.
“If Surya doesn’t start scoring runs, he will lose his voice in the dressing room and eventually lose his place because, anyone who knows Gambhir knows that for him, ‘winning is not everything but the only thing.’ Today was Gil; Tomorrow it could be Suryakumar Yadav,” the report said.
Who will be India’s next T20I captain?
The Indian selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir have given several indications that they plan to move on from Suryakumar Yadav after the ICC T20 World Cup. The plans have been strengthened by the Indian captain’s poor form for more than 14 months.
But who will be brought in as India’s next T20I captain? Previously, they relied on Shubman Gill as captain across all formats; However, it is clear that Shubman’s place in the T20I XI is not permanent.
Axar Patel has been appointed the vice-captain of the team, while Hardik Pandya will also remain a part of the eleven for a long time. India will also have the option of Jasprit Bumrah; However, if injuries limit his chances, Tilak Verma can be seen as a candidate who could be a T20I asset in the long run.
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