Is Shreyas Iyer’s taking over as India T20I captain now only a matter of time? For someone who was ignored for the shortest format by the national selectors till the World Cup in February-March, this has been a dramatic change of fortunes.
Suryakumar Yadav’s inconsistent form in the latter half of the showpiece event and now in the IPL has put his continuation in the hot seat in doubt. Surya had set his sights on the 2028 World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics soon after leading India to their third T20 World Cup title in Ahmedabad.
But his dream could be farfetched if those in the know are to be believed. Surya will be 38 then and the selectors are not looking that far.
Sources told The Telegraph that there has been no formal discussion between head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors so far on the way forward, but they are likely to discuss the issue at some point during this IPL.
India’s next T20 assignment is in Ireland in late June, when the team plays two matches followed by a white-ball tour of England.
It is no secret that Gambhir shares a very good rapport with Surya, but there is no guarantee that personal relations will take precedence over national interest. The Ajit Agarkar-led committee had stripped Rohit Sharma of ODI captaincy a month after he had led the team to Champions Trophy glory last year.
Surya’s highest in his last 10 T20 matches has been the 51 off 36 balls against Delhi Capitals at the Kotla earlier this month. The selectors will look to build a team with an eye on the future right after the end of this IPL.
Shreyas has been impressive with his leadership, clarity of thought and ability to adjust his game plan according to the demands of the situation. Punjab Kings’ recent success has been built around his skill-set to think differently, infuse confidence in his teammates by providing them the freedom to express themselves and set things up for the opposition.
For years, Punjab Kings were just another franchise struggling to make a mark in the league. But Shreyas’s presence has transformed a somewhat unknown bunch of players into a champion outfit.
Having been released by KKR after he led them to their third IPL title in 2024, Punjab lapped Shreyas up at the auction for ₹26.75 crore. His swag, fearless attitude and captaincy traits have woven magic for the franchise.
“He’s not trying to prove anything to critics — he’s proving to himself how great he can become. That’s real excellence,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on X.
Shreyas’ batting, especially when it comes to constructing chases, has been well documented this season. Not without reason is he being compared to Virat Kohli as the master of chases.
But will it be easy to dump a World Cup-winning captain based on a franchise tournament? There is a school of thought that Surya might be given a chance in Ireland, but the message is clear — perform or perish.
The top order already seems to be too crowded with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh staking their claims to the national side.
It’s not going to be only about the captaincy, since the T20 set-up as a whole could see several changes. With two important events lined up in 2028, the selectors are unwilling to invest in players who will not last the distance.
Shreyas has clearly edged out his rivals in the race to the top throne. The likes of vice-captain Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan have fallen by the wayside and the selectors will only have to choose between giving Surya one more chance or propelling Shreyas to the top job.