Suryakumar Yadav's T20I Captaincy Under Threat Amidst Form Slump

File photo of India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. (AP)

New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav is woefully out of form and a troubled wrist has only aggravated the situation. He will be the hot topic of discussion when the men's senior selection committee meets to pick squads for the T20I series versus Ireland and England. It's rare for a captain's place to be up for discussion months after leading the country to a T20 World Cup title. But the move was on the cards since his bat has been silent for far too long and Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has a reputation for keeping an eye on the future. The 35-year-old wasn't picked in the probables for the Asian Games later this year so the axe is now more about 'when' than 'why'. A small faction feels he deserves some leeway after becoming only the third player to lead India to a T20 World Cup title. But a majority believes a leadership change needs to happen now for the 2028 LA Games and the T20 World Cup that year. It will be interesting to see how Agarkar and coach Gautam Gambhir - the two strong voices in the management - align regarding the succession plan. It wasn't that difficult when they picked Surya as Rohit Sharma's successor in 2024. He pipped Hardik Pandya, who looked like the obvious choice before the management went with Surya. Will it be that straight forward now? It doesn't look like it as the room could be divided on the successor. As TimesofIndia.com had reported last month, Shreyas Iyer was earmarked as one of the leadership candidates in the white-ball set-up and his elevation in the ODI set-up was just the first step of the plan. They are looking at him as the T20I captain, slotting in at No.4 in place of the struggling Surya, but how this plays out with Gambhir remains to be seen. It is understood that a lack of unanimity on this matter could well put succession plans on hold but it's imperative for Indian cricket to find the right direction and place an ideal candidate behind the wheel. The situation firmly places the spotlight on Gambhir and Agarkar. The two haven't been on the same page regarding certain past decisions, including Playing XI calls and the lack of specialists in the longest format. While constructive differences are healthy for any environment, the key stakeholders are hoping both the head coach and chief selector can be on the same page regarding this crucial matter.

Suryakumar Yadav's record as India' T20I captain. (Graphic: TimesofIndia.com)

"Ajit is a very strong chief selector, one of the strongest to have been in charge. He has taken some tough calls with an eye on future and he, along with his panel, has a plan in place for the T20I captaincy and the way forward. That's the reason Shreyas was appointed vice-captain in ODIs and was in the squad for the last bilateral series India played before the T20 World Cup," says a well-placed source.

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"Now is he the coach's choice? Or he has someone else in mind? And will that someone be the selectors' choice? These are the important points of discussion. Axar Patel was the vice-captain for the World Cup, Ishan Kishan has age, form and leadership credentials; and then there is Sanju Samson's name doing the rounds. Samson has recency bias on his side but his inconsistency has not pleased key stakeholders," adds the source.

Ajit is a very strong chief selector, one of the strongest to have been in charge. He has taken some tough calls with an eye on future and he, along with his panel, has a plan in place for the T20I captaincy

A source on India team selections

The selectors have followed a process, incorporating a fair share of instinctive calls, but they haven't sprung wild surprises. Performance, consistency and longevity have been key metrics. Suryakumar getting the pink slip is a no-brainer, but selecting his successor will require unanimity -- something which hasn't always been the case with Gambhir and Agarkar.

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