When Shreyas Iyer was made India’s T20I captain, he was expected to take Team India to new heights. However, the passing of the captaincy baton from Suryakumar Yadav to Shreyas hasn’t gone according to plan, as the Men in Blue have lost to Ireland and England. In the seven matches India played, the visitors tasted defeat in six, while one game was washed out due to rain. As criticism mounts against Shreyas and head coach Gautam Gambhir, a new report has claimed that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is open to recalling T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar.
Suryakumar was removed as India’s captain right after the T20 World Cup win, owing to his poor form in international and IPL cricket. He was then replaced by Shreyas. However, it has now come to light that SKY remains in the fray for a return to India’s T20I setup.
According to a report by the news agency ANI, consistent domestic performances are likely to determine his chances of a comeback. A BCCI source said Suryakumar has not been sidelined permanently and remains eligible for selection if he rediscovers his form in domestic cricket.
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“The doors are still open for Suryakumar Yadav. He is not part of the current plans, but if he consistently scores runs in domestic cricket, he will certainly be considered for selection,” the source said.
The 35-year-old, who captained India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title, was relieved of the T20I captaincy and left out of the squad for the white-ball tours of Ireland and England after a prolonged dip in batting form. SKY had a horrid time in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, and his only valuable knock in the World Cup came in India’s opening game against the USA.
India’s fortunes, however, have not improved since the leadership change. The side suffered a 2-0 series defeat in Ireland before enduring a 4-0 loss to England in a five-match T20I series, with the opening fixture abandoned because of rain.
What happened in the series against England?
India’s latest setback came in Southampton, where they lost the fifth T20I by 56 runs, completing a 4-0 series defeat. Earlier in the series, the visitors were beaten by four wickets in the second match, by 125 runs in the third, and by nine wickets in the fourth, while the opening game ended in a no-result due to persistent rain.
The disappointing England tour followed another historic defeat in Ireland, where India lost a bilateral T20I series to the hosts for the first time. England’s triumph also marked their maiden bilateral T20I series win over India in a multi-match series.
India will now turn their attention to the three-match ODI series against England, with senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the squad.