Aakash Chopra picks Suryakumar Yadav’s replacement as India’s T20I captain

Table of Contents

The T20I captaincy of India could soon become a major talking point ahead of the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, with the place of Suryakumar Yadav in the side reportedly coming under scrutiny. While no official decision has been made yet, recent reports suggest that the national selectors are closely monitoring the star batter’s prolonged dip in form and may review both his leadership role and his position in the playing XI.

Amid the growing speculation, former India opener Aakash Chopra has weighed in on the debate and named the player he believes should take charge of the Men in Blue if the selectors decide to move on from Suryakumar.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated that Shreyas Iyer would be his preferred choice to lead India in T20Is if Suryakumar is no longer retained as captain. The former cricketer also advocated for the inclusion of Rajat Patidar in India’s middle order but felt that the leadership experience of Shreyas gives him the edge in the captaincy race.

“If he isn’t there, and you are looking towards someone else, my vote will be for Shreyas Iyer. Make him a part of the Indian team. Bring him in the middle order. Bring Rajat Patidar along with him as well, but I see the captaincy on Shreyas Iyer’s shoulders because he has got the experience. He has performed incredibly in white-ball cricket. He is very, very good. He is a performer. He is an absolute game-changer in white-ball cricket, and he captains very well. He has done that with three different franchises,” Chopra said.

Also READ: Big blow for Team India as Virat Kohli ruled out of Afghanistan ODI series – Reports

The discussion around India’s T20I leadership comes at a time when Suryakumar has endured one of the toughest phases of his career. Although he guided India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title, his returns with the bat have dipped significantly over the past year. After finishing IPL 2025 with 717 runs, five half-centuries and 38 sixes, Suryakumar experienced a dramatic decline in IPL 2026. Representing Mumbai Indians (MI), he managed just 270 runs in 13 matches, averaging a little over 20 while striking only 10 sixes throughout the campaign.

Reports have also suggested that the 35-year-old has been dealing with a wrist issue that may have limited his trademark range of shots, although the batter has publicly denied carrying any injury. Meanwhile, Iyer continues to strengthen his credentials as a leader. He guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL 2024 title and previously led Delhi Capitals (DC) to the final in 2020 and Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL final in 2025. Patidar has also emerged as a strong leadership candidate after captaining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026.

Also READ: Kusal Mendis shines as Sri Lanka outclass West Indies in the first ODI