Suryakumar takes big off-field decision to save T20I captaincy amid poor form and fitness concerns: Report

Suryakumar Yadav's poor form with the bat is likely to cost him his T20I captaincy and his spot in the team but he is trying his best to save his job.

Suryakumar Yadav led India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year but his form with the bat has been poor. Reuters

FirstCricket Staff|Jun 01, 2026, 13:59:07 IST

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is trying his best to save his captaincy and is taking all steps possible to project himself as the leader of the team in the shortest format. There have been speculations over a change in captaincy of the Indian T20I team due to the poor form of Suryakumar with the bat. However, the right-hander is not willing to give up easily.

According to a report in CricBlogger, Suryakumar is engaging with stakeholders in the board and is also constantly in touch with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Under the leadership of the 35-year-old batter, India recently won the T20 World Cup but that might not be enough for him to save his job.

Suryakumar's big off-field call

According to the report in CricBlogger, the Indian T20I skipper has even hired a PR manager to set the right narrative around his form and fitness. The batter missed a few games at the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) which raised concerns over his fitness. However, he wants to ensure that public receives the right message regarding his fitness.

Reports recently stated that Suryakumar had been ignored from the preliminary squad for the Asian Games 2026 which takes place in September-October. This is being seen as an indication of the Indian management's unwillingness to retain him the leadership role in the format.

However, the report states that nothing is decided as of yet and head coach Gambhir is not fully on board with the plan to drop Suryakumar. A section of the board thinks Suryakumar should be given more chances to return to form with the bat. However, with competition for slots at an all-time high, the end of road could be near for the current Indian T20I captain if his form does not pick up.

The report names Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as the two potential captaincy replacements with Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar also being discussed.

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